Pain
by Taurie Lucas
Summary: The Arrancars are the biggest band in America. Grimmjow is the lead singer. The band have lost their drummer as a result of an unfortunate incident, but in order to keep the band going, Grimmjow is on a hunt to find another drummer. M for language and content...possible detailed lemon in later chapters ;
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: The characters aren't mine. They belong to Mr Kubo. The lyrics are not mine either. In this chapter, the lyrics belong to Three Days Grace.**

**This will be my second publishing on . My first one was Stupid Love, my Zolu fanfic. w I hope you all enjoy this fic. **

**EARLY WARNING: I only have this chapter so far, and it may be a while till I upload the lext chapter. If you would like to continue to read this fic, please watch this, fav it or whatever you do...ha ha ha -scratches back of head- The reason I may take a long time for this fic, is coz of my school work. Just ask Curiosity Killed Kristy, she knows. **

**Anyway, ENJOY!**

**Pain**

**Chapter 1**

The instrumental began with the power of the bass and drums, then the electric joining in and then all finally collecting together to continue the first verse of the song, along with the sexy, but untouchable vocalist.

_I can't escape this hell  
So many times I've tried  
But I'm still caged inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself _

The chorus began with feeling as the rock band gave the audience their all. The blue haired vocalist pouring all his feelings into his gruff singing, sweat glistening his body from the heat of the spotlights, giving him a glow like that of a god.

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
(This animal, this animal) _

On the electric guitar was a blonde haired woman with as much aggression as a fully grown male, on bass was an emotionless raven haired man with a tattoos of straight green lines, starting at the bottom of his eyes to his jaw. Lastly on the drums was somebody the band picked as a temporary replacement from their former drummer, who happened to commit suicide by ODing. The drummer was also the vocalist's best friend. They did everything together without it being anything more than just close brotherhood. The only person who knew the real reason the drummer killed himself was the lead singer. The rest thought that the stress of band life got to him, even though he had never had complaints and he always enjoyed his time with the band.

The vocalist almost faltered in his singing as these thoughts were making him angry and miserable, so shaking his head he belted out the next verse and even more so when the chorus rolled around again.

_I can't escape myself  
(I can't escape myself)  
So many times I've lied  
(So many times I've lied)  
But there's still rage inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself_

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal 

Getting angrier and more despairing as he hadn't thought of his friend since the day he died, Grimmjow Jeaggerjaques poured the rest of his emotion into this song as it depicts what he has been feeling without his best friend. He didn't even know what he was feeling or even what his song was about, but he trusted his instincts.

_Somebody help me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself  
Somebody wake me from this nightmare  
I can't escape this hell_

(This animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal)

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
(This animal I have become) 

The vocals stopped and the guitars and the drums carried out the last of the riffs and chords and the song finished. The audience roared, clapping and yelling franticly.

Since their drummer's death, Grimmjow had been writing the songs in a different style as his emotions took over what he was writing. 'Animal I have Become' was Grimmjow's way of dealing with his pain even though he didn't know this himself, but the songs were great hits and the band had gained more fans.

When the lights dimmed to a pitch black symbolising the end of the show, Grimm walked away from the stage quickly, hoping his band mates didn't notice and follow him. He was distraught and tears ran down his face. He had never cried before in his life except when he went to his friend's funeral, but no one saw him in that state, and he wasn't about to start now. So walking through the many corridors finding his dressing room, he went in, closed and locked the door. He turned his back to it and slid down with his knees drawn up to his chest as he silently cried, his arms hugging tightly around his legs. All his pent up grief just burst and Grimmjow was unable to stop the steady flow of tears streaming down his face. After a few hours, the flow was only a small dribble and the vocalist had fallen asleep in his position. There was a sudden knock at the door which gave the singer a fright, as he jumped quite high in the air when he was awoken. With his hand against his heart while trying to control his breathing, he called through the door and was quite surprised that his voice didn't waver in the slightest.

"Yeah?"

"It is Hallibel. Let me in."

He chuckled a bit at her abruptness, not bothering to see if he was okay. His river had dried up but his eyes were still red and puffy from his excess crying.

"No. What do you want?"  
"I came to talk to you."

At Hallibel's hint that she was actually worried about him, Grimmjow swallowed his pride as a male, unlocked the door and scooted aside so the door could open. The guitarist slipped through, making sure that she wasn't followed, then shut the door after herself. Hallibel sat cross legged on the floor in front of her friend though he had his head down so she couldn't see his face.

"What's wrong? You never run off stage like that, you always stand there ginning like the proud son of a bitch you are."

He laughed at her use of language to describe himself. She always seems to know there is something wrong with him, it is freaky but Grimmjow accepted it as Hal was the only one he talked to about anything concerning his private life. Though she didn't know the real reason the drummer ODed, he thought that she should know now. She was always very helpful in these situations though none were this bad.

"I have to tell you something, but you have to swear to not tell Uluquiorra or anyone else for that matter. I know he has a right, but it isn't the right time. Okay?"

Grimmjow looked up at his guitarist, eyes pleading, pride totally down the drain. Hal gives him a nod and he sits properly, legs crossed and begins.  
"You know Joel had a boyfriend, right?" He waited until she nodded and he continued, "Well a few times, Joel had come to my house at random times crying and bashed up. It was that bastard Yammy. Joel said that he would crack at the smallest of things. For example, he was late coming home from work once and therefore didn't have dinner waiting for Yammy when he came home from work. So when Joel got home, the bastard was already there and started yelling at him for being lazy and not caring about him and he also went as far as to say that Joel was staying late to hook up with whores. I know Joel isn't...wasn't some weakling, but he loved Yammy and couldn't bring himself to hit back or break it off."

Hallibel just sat wide eyed at this story.

"Another time was when Joel refused to have sex with him 'cause he was tired and had to get up really early in the morning. Yammy, being the beast he is, took him by force with no care for him and when Joel showed up at mine..." Grimm had to take a few breaths to stop himself from crying again, rage evident in his voice, "when he showed up, he was bleeding, his legs were trembling, I don't even know how he managed to walk that far, he had two black eyes from being punched repeatedly while Yammy...raped him. He had so many cuts and bruises I lost count. I tried talking him out of staying with that monster, saying it wasn't good for his mental health. But he loved that brute even though he was afraid of him."

The vocalist was now standing, pacing back and forth, hands bunched in his hair, as he got lost in the story, reliving the trauma.

"THAT FUCKING BASTARD!" he yelled as he punched the wall, dust particles from the paint on the ceiling falling to the ground.

"You know what the worst part was? When he came to me that last time, battered, raped...again, and broken. He told me he had enough of living like he was, though he still loved his abusive boyfriend. He said that he was going to end this life that he had. I thought he was talking about his relationship with Yammy! I egged him on to do it, that he would feel better! I COULD HAVE SAVED HIM!" A second lot of tears streaming down his face, "I practically killed my best friend. I can't believe I missed his silent cry for help. I can't believe I killed him."

Grimm was now on the floor sobbing, Hallibel next to him rubbing his back for comfort. She was so filled with anger at Yammy. The band knew him well as he used to be a friend. The big brute got a different job which caused him to move and drift apart from the band members, but obviously not Joel.

"That ass hole. I'm gonna kill 'im. I really am gonna kill 'im. I cannot fathom what he did to Joel and, in consequence, you as well. He broke Joel in every way possible, mind, spirit and body. You didn't do anything, Grimm. It wasn't your fault, you couldn't have known the underlying meaning of what he said. You couldn't have done anything. It isn't your fault."

Hal was getting angrier by the second that, that bastard reduced the strongest person she knows into a bawling mess after killing his one and only best friend.

Grimmjow and Joel were so close they were like brothers except they didn't fight, at all. Joel knew everything about Grimm, all his darkest secrets and the same goes for the singer. They knew each other in every possible way, being there for each other when they most needed it, doing everything together. With Grimm's expression and aura that screamed 'punk' and 'delinquent', no one ever had the courage to approach him to try and befriend him. Joel had an affinity for reading people and so began a relationship with Grimmjow effortlessly.

Grimm was lonely though he had his band mates, but they never got close enough to be allowed to delve into his personal life. It was only recently after the months of Joel's passing that the vocalist let in Hallibel. She was the only female in the group and that made it easier for Grimm to show his softer side. The vocalist's tears ran dry. He was still sniffling, but sighed heavily as he ran out of steam to show any more emotion. Hal still hugged him close on the floor, his arms also around her finding comfort in the friendly gesture. He sighed once more before letting go and wiping his eyes with his sleeve.  
"Thanks, again, Hal. I don't know what I would do without you. I think I would be worse than this if it wasn't for you, so thank you."

Hallibel nodded,

"You're welcome. I'm grateful that you can confide in me. No matter what it is, I will help you by any means."

The two just sat there enjoying the silence after the storm.

Uluquiorra was leaning against the door of Grimmjow's dressing room. He heard everything. Though he and Hallibel weren't as close to Joel as their vocalist, they were still good friends with him. Under his unbreakable mask of a poker face, inside he was seething with the urge to kill his once called 'friend', Yammy.

The temporary drummer was back in a big room that is used for lounging and holding meetings, asleep and oblivious to the internal band trauma. Uluquiorra left the dressing room and went to his own, to pack what he had brought to the concert and then left. Hallibel and Grimmjow were now standing, Grimm breathing a relieved sigh as the weight that had been on his shoulders for months had finally become lighter. Grimmjow thanked Hallibel again and started to pack up this things so he could go home, but Hal stayed behind and helped him as she knew he would like the company. Once they were finished, they headed to Hal's room to pack while still saying nothing to another, just enjoying the presence of each other.

Once Hal and Uluquiorra said their good byes, Grimm headed to the big meeting room, only to find Nick, the temporary drummer, asleep on one of the plush couches. He took out his wallet and counted out the amount of money Nick was being paid for this gig. He had been given Nick's share of money as the manager couldn't find the drummer so he entrusted it to the singer. He tossed the money on the coffee table in front of the couch and nudged Nick with his hand. A sleepy eye cracked open.

"Oh, hey. Sorry. I didn't get much sleep last night. Is it time to leave?"

Grimmjow nodded, "Yeah. The others have left. Your money's on the table. I'm 'bout to leave. Thanks for coming. You saved our asses. I'll ring you if we need you again and if we haven't found a permanent replacement. See ya."

Grimm walked out of the room and headed toward the back entrance.

With the windows rolled down, Grimmjow cruised home, not in a rush. He glided along a strip of clubs, letting the thumping of the music relax his tense muscles when something caught his attention. He slowed and parked on the side of the road in front of the club where an awesome drum beat flowed through the door. He got out of his car and walked up to the bouncer, taking out his wallet. The man was huge. His whole body bulging with muscle and his face had one scar going vertically from his forehead down onto his eye, then continued to his mouth and down past his chin and he had an eye patch covering the other eye. Grimm knew this guy. It was Kenpachi Zaraki. They were friends in high school and into collage, but Kenpachi dropped out to practice MMA fighting and he hadn't seen him since. Grinning, he stepped into the light looking up at his childhood friend.

"Kenny!"

Kenpachi looked down, confused, but a wide grin spread across his face seeing his old friend. "Grimm! Nice ta see ya! How's it goin'?"

They bro-hugged and laughed a bit.

"Ah, okay I guess. I haven't been in the best of states my friend, to be honest. But I'm dealing with it. So what's up with you? I take it you have followed your dream?" The bouncer grinned and laughed, knowing better not to ask about what his friend is actually dealing with.

"Oh, I followed my dream alright. Defeated all the champs! Now I got nothin' to do, so I opted to be a bouncer to this club, 'cause they always have misfits tryin' to sneak in and then cause fights when they're caught. So I'm more than willing to take on a bunch of punks."

The vocalist laughed.

"Of course!" He said once straightening up then continuing, opening his wallet and plucking out a few notes, "So how much will it be?"

Kenpachi shook his head.

"Nah, man. You're all good. You're a superstar now. Can get in any where. Go ahead and have some fun."

"Thanks man. See ya 'round."

Grimmjow walked through the door and faintly heard Kenpachi yelling at a punk who was saying that it isn't fair that the 'blue haired freak' got in for free. He just shook his head and continued into the club which had the floor covered in smoke from the smoke machines. The amazing drumming getting louder and louder until he was among the throng of people in the club. He looked toward the stage but the white smoke was concealing the drummer from sight, so he just sat at the bar nodding to the beat, the sound moving within him giving him a feeling of false euphoria. But it was making him happy and keeping him from thinking about his deceased friend. It was amazing that the drummer didn't need any other instruments to sound great.

"Hey!" Someone yelled over the loud drumming. Grimm looked from the stage to stare at the bartender.

"Hey!" he yelled back.

"Do you want something?" the bartender asked. Grimmjow shook his head and went back to bobbing his head to the beat. The mysterious drummer began a furious bashing against the drums as he neared the end of his tune. With a final bash on two of the drums, the beat finished and the club went up in hysterics. The women screaming and clapping and the men clapping also with some whistling. The smoke slowly cleared to reveal a sexy, fiery man. Fiery as in orange hair, just as unusual as the vocalist's blue hair. Grim smirked as he watched the red head stand from his chair and head toward to bar. The singer swivelled in his chair so he was facing the bar as he decided he did want a drink after all. He flagged down the bartender who went straight past the drummer who also tried to flag him. The red head turned his head to send a glare at who ever it was who stole the bartender, but his eyes widened in awe as he saw who it was. Grimmjow caught this while ordering his drink and chuckled a bit before turning to the side and, bending his index finger, silently told the drummer to come over. The man looked shocked then pointed at himself in question and Grimm just laughed and nodded his head. The drummer slowly made his way over to the vocalist and sat next to him.

"So, you angry I got the bartender first?" Grimmjow said teasingly, laughing slightly. The red head's face went red as he became flustered and began to stumble over his words.

"No...I—He—he was closer...so wouldn't—isn't it e—easier to serve the—the—" he was cut off as Grimm laughed loud and it was a real laugh, one he hadn't been able to muster since the death of Joel. The drummer looked confused.

"Um...What are you laughing about?"

Grimm wiped a tear from his eye and held out his hand to introduce himself with a big smile.

"I'm sorry. I teased you. Name's Grimmjow Jeaggerjaques."

"I—I know..." the drummer said shyly while shaking the hand which made Grimmjow's smile widen, but he continued, "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. Ni—nice to meet you." Ichigo bowed from his seat.

"Whoa, whoa. You don't have to do that. No one does that any more in America." Grimm said surprised. Ichigo frowned, eyes apologetic.

"So—sorry. I was raised in Japan and the customs have been imprinted deeply in me. It is out of habit. In Japan, when meeting someone of higher status than yourself it is polite to bow." The vocalist's eyes widened at the statement.

"I—I'm not that superior, really. With the way that you work your drums, I should be bowing to you. Your drumming is fantastic."

Ichigo blushed shyly as he struggled to find words to tell the other man that he was wrong. Grimm grinned.

"Ichigo." The red head looked into the blazing blue of the singers eyes when he heard his name, "Don't be shying away from praise. Your drumming is magnificent and if you weren't that great then why would you think they let you play here?"

Ichigo looked at the ground and mumbled.

"What was that Ichigo?" Grimm said, frowning.

The drummer looked up. "I know the owner. He is my dad's friend."

The vocalist nodded his head in understanding.

"I see. Well, coming from a band myself, I can tell you your drumming is the best I have ever heard. It makes me feel happy and relaxed, like I'm drunk. I have never had that experience before with a drum solo. Guitar and bass, yes, when they do their solos and pianos and all the other wonderful instruments, but never, up until now, have I ever heard such talent on the drums." Ichigo blushed deeper as he was embarrassed and became more self concious.

"I—I don't think I'm _that _good..." the red head trailed off looking at the ground. Grimm smiled as he had an idea.

"Hey, I have a question." he said, making Ichigo look up from the wooden floor.

"Yeah?" Ichigo asked.

Grimm smiled wider and continued, "Well, my band is looking for a new drummer..." he trailed off watching the red head's eyes widen in surprise, "and I was wondering if you would like to join us? Of course if you don't have any other business." Ichigo's mouth kept on opening and closing as he couldn't find the words he wanted to say and his eyes were still wide in disbelief.

The vocalist laughed again. "It is a simple shake of the head or nod. Would you like to join?" Grimm said through chuckles.

"I—you are my—the band is my—I love your band! It would be a dream come true to come and play for you!" Ichigo looked excited and Grimmjow was still laughing, but it died down a little when he began to speak.

"That's great! Welcome to the band, Ichigo. It is great to hear that you are a fan. Well here are..." the vocalist trailed off while writing something on a napkin with a pen from his own shirt, "the details. My phone number, my address if you ever need anything, the address of the studio where we practise and the name and the phone number of our manager if you ever need him for something." He gave the napkin to the drummer and took a swig of the beer he forgot was in front of him.

"Th—thank you! I—I won't let you down!" Ichigo yelled, staring at the napkin like it was a piece of gold. Suddenly there was a cheery voice sounding all over the club.

"_Could Ichigo Kurosaki please return to the stage for one last time before we close! Everyone have fun and we hope to see you back here often._" The drummer looked up to the ceiling and laughed muttering something that sounded like 'Stupid Renji' and got out of his seat.

"Well I have to go. It was a pleasure meeting you Mr. Jeaggerjaques." Ichigo bowed again and was about to set off but Grimm grabbed his wrist.  
"Please don't ever call me Mr. Jeaggerjaques again. It makes me sound old. Also remember, don't bow, you don't have to and the band is meeting at the studio tomorrow at 10.00 in the morning. I'll see you there." He let go of the drummer's wrist and winked, watching him blush again. He laughed and turned back to the bar to skull down the rest of the beer. He decided that he'll stay for the last performance then he'll leave.

_'Damn he's hot. Nice ass. What a good score. Maybe I'll get to tease him again tomorrow...'_ Grimm thought as he rested his head against him arms on the bar, listening to the enchanting drums.

Once the beat was over, the vocalist headed out of the club to his car. The drummer had left him in a really relaxed, calm and sleepy trance, but the beer had helped too. Once he was home he went straight for his bedroom and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

Ichigo was so ecstatic that he couldn't sleep. During his last drum solo of the night at his 'uncle's' club, he had watched his idol, Grimmjow Jeaggerjaques, listen to him on his drums. He couldn't believe he was now part of his number one favourite band, the Arrancars. He was wide awake from his nerves because he was meeting the rest of the band the following day, but he was also scared that the other band members wouldn't like him and tell him to leave. The Arrancars were the biggest band in the whole of America and he didn't want to rain on their parade. After pacing a hole in the ground, the drummer decided to make some hot chocolate to help him sleep.

Blowing on the steam that the hot chocolate was emitting, Ichigo sat on his couch and tried to calm his brain as it was still running at miles per hour. He took a sip from his cup and instantly felt the warmth spread throughout his body, relaxing the muscles and making him sink further into the soft cushions with a satisfied sigh.

He finished off the chocolate in one last mouthful and rinsed the cup, putting it on the drainer, then he walked into his room as a drowsiness overtook him. The drummer crawled into bed and curled up, sleep washing over him with ease.


	2. Pain: Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: The characters are not mine and the lyrics in this chapter belong to Rascal Flatts**

**Yey! Another chapter done! Also in this story, it is the lyrics that are needing to be paying attention to. I have no idea what Grimmjow's voice sounds like, but to me it is pretty and gruff, but you can't pin it on any of the songs he is going to be singing just because he won't sound like any of them. Okay, hope you enjoy, again, and just remember, I have no idea when I will be able to upload the next chapter.**

P.S: Ichigo will not be stuttery and shy through the whole thing. It is only the first part, 'cause seriously, anyone who was meeting their idols, their favourite singer, etc. you would all stutter, and be shy. Am I right? And especially if you were going to work with them. So Ichigo will get more comfortable and become more natural. Sorry if in the future he still seems OC. Just tell me.

**Chapter 2**

The red head awoke slowly, stretching his back in a way similar to that of a cat and sat on the edge of his bed, blinking slowly. He yawned and looked over at his digital clock on his bedside table. It read 9.45.

_'Damn, I slept in later than usual. What am I doing today...?'_ The drummer's eyes widened.  
"Shit!" he said as he dashed from his bed and straight into the shower.

"I can't believe I forgot!"

He quickly lathered down and washed his hair and rinsed all the suds off. Once he was dry and dressed, the red head looked at the clock on the wall in the kitchen while walking to the cupboard to get something to eat. It was 9.55. He had 5 minutes to eat breakfast and get to the studio. The drummer decided to skip breakfast and ran out of his small apartment to his bright electric blue Bugatti Veyron that was parked in the garage. His Bugatti was a present from his dad for his 21st birthday, though he had rejected it because it was expensive, but his dad was loaded and had insisted. Turning the key in the ignition, his baby softly purred to life and going as fast as possible but still within the speed limit, Ichigo sped towards the recording studio which was on the other side of town. Ichigo was now half and hour late and he kept cursing as he didn't want to get fired before he even did anything.

He parked his car and rushed into the building. Glancing around the empty corridors on either side of him, Ichigo felt a wave of panic.

_'What if they left? What if they were only meeting up to see me? I have just disappointed them, my favourite band and I let my one and only chance at my dream slip through my fingers because I slept in. I am such an idiot!'_ Deciding to play it calm and cool, the drummer walked down the hallway on his left as there seemed to be a reception desk at the end. Walking up to the counter, he noticed the receptionist slumped in his chair, asleep. He cleared his throat to try an wake him up, but when he didn't even flinch, Ichigo leant over the desk at a ninety degree angle and, in a slightly raised voice, said, "Excuse me." The guy jumped slightly before he opened his eyes, pale blue orbs tiredly looking the red head up and down.

"Do you have an appointment, young man?" he said wearily.

"Um, not really," Ichigo started, the receptionist looking at him with a look that seemed to say 'Then why are you here?', but the drummer quickly continued, "I—I met Grimmjow Jeaggerjaques yesterday at the Smokin' Bodies Club...He said to drop by at 10.00, but I'm a bit late. Is the band here?" The receptionist, his name tag read 'Starkk', rose his eyebrow.

"They don't come 'till 11.30." he stated, as if it was obvious. The red head frowned.

"Oh." was all he said. He walked to a row of chairs that were opposite the reception desk and sat down, Starkk already fast asleep in his padded chair. The drummer looked at his watch, it was only 10.45. He groaned and layed down on chairs, closing his eyes.

Grimmjow parked his Ferrari Sports car in a parking space next to a sexy, sleek Bugatti Vayron. As he turned off the gas, he stepped out and wolf whistled, eyeing the car. Also exiting their vehicles were the other band members. Hallibel showed her appreciation for the Bugatti by running her hands over the smooth, shiny surface while humming and Uluquiorra just stayed as emotionless as always. Walking towards the entrance of the building, Grimm snickered.

"Man I could totally shag the owner of this car. I wouldn't care if they were ugly or a woman, as long as I get to ride in it at least once."

He looked at Hal as he could feel her death glare boring holes into the back of his head.

"What?" he smiled. Hallibel just whacked him over the head.

"Ow! What the hell—" the vocalist cut himself off, spotting the red head curled on the chairs, asleep.

"Who is that?" Uluquiorra questioned, though his tone was still monotonous, no feeling what-so-ever.

"Oh, I met this guy last night. He is our new drummer. Before you say anything, I have heard him play and you have to too, to know what I mean when I say he is absolutely amazing. His name is Ichigo Kurosaki." Grimm started forward toward the drummer when he heard an unfamiliar chuckle. He turned to Hal, who shook her head, with wide eyes, pointing to Uluquirra. Grimmjow and Hallibel stared at the bass guitarist who, had a little pink on his unnatural, pale cheeks as he chuckled a little. The other two band mates were totally shocked as they had never heard nor seen a reaction out of the bassist, ever.

"Dude, what's so funny?" the vocalist frowned, worried for his friend. Uluquiorra coughed a little to re-gain his composure.

"Well, this guy is a red head. In Japanese, the word _'ichigo'_ means strawberry. It is kinda ridiculous isn't it? To name your red headed child Ichigo." The other two stared blankly, the information slowly sinking in. Hal started giggling and then so did Grimmjow. They weren't very loud so they didn't wake the sleeping drummer. After their, somewhat, small fit, Grimm crouched in front of the red head and lightly shook his shoulder.

"Hey Berry wake up."

He tried not to laugh while he was talking and was surprisingly successful.

"Shiro, mmm, a few more minutes..." Ichigo muttered, weakly swatting the vocalist's hand on his shoulder. Grimmjow just smirked, "I ain't called Shiro. My name's Grimmjow."

The red head's eyes started to open.  
"Grimm..." he started slowly, eyes suddenly widening, "Uwaaa! Grimmjow!" he yelled, bolting up into a sitting position, but bashing heads with the vocalist in the process.

"Ah, fuck!" they both shouted, clutching their heads. Hallibel was laughing loudly now, though Uluquiorra had reverted back to his stoic self. The singer sent a warning glare at Hal and she immediately shut up. Uluquiorra, fed up with waiting for the band's new drummer, sighed and went straight towards the elevator at the end of the hallway to go up to the studio. The electric guitarist decided it was a good idea and also left Grimmjow with the red head. Once they were gone, the area was very quiet, save for the soft breathing of the receptionist, Starkk, who happened to still be asleep.

"Ah, I—I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. The receptionist said that you guys didn't get here till 11.30 and so I waited...I'm sorry." Ichigo blubbered, his head down.

"I didn't think you would actually come, Ichigo. That is why I gave you a wrong time. I thought you would have talked yourself out of it because yesterday you were going on about how you weren't that great. It looks like my words sunk in. I'm glad you're here. Well, you have seen the others, let's go up to the studio to properly introduce you." Grimm stood up and fixed his clothes, Ichigo followed suit while walking towards the elevator.

Grinning, the vocalist said, "Shiro, huh? Is he your boyfriend?"

The drummer went bright red and opened his mouth to speak, "N—no he is just a childhood friend of mine. He lives with me." He stared at the ground.

"Oh, okay. Next topic. That wonderful beast of a car out there, is that yours?"

Ichigo looked up, surprised.

"Yeah. It was a birthday present from my dad."

The vocalist had a huge face-eating grin plastered on his face, now that he knew the car belonged to the drummer. The rest of the way to the studio was quiet. Ichigo was nervous to meet the rest of the band and to know what they thought of him, but Grimmjow seemed relaxed like he had no concerns at all. The red head followed behind the singer when they reached their floor and when they approached the studio door, he froze. Grimm noticed the hesitation.

"You're not gonna go running now that we're here are you?" he smirked. The drummer shook his head, a look of determination in his eyes. Grimmjow smirked again and opened the brown wooden door, letting Ichigo go through first, then shutting it behind him. Hal was tuning her guitar on a long white leather sofa while Uluquiorra was out of sight, but a faint humming sound was coming from a room off to the far back of the studio. He was making lunch. The vocalist ushered Ichigo to sit on one of the many comfy looking chairs that were dotted around the room. He disappeared into the room Uluquiorra was occupying, then exited with the bassist trailing along. They both sat on a chair, which, with all four of them, formed an odd circle. He cleared his throat and looked the other band members in the eye.

"As we are all aware, we need a replacement drummer. He," Grimmjow gestured to Ichigo, "is the one to do that. Like I said before, he is seriously good. I went to the Smokin' Bodies club last night, while I was on my way home and I heard this guy play. I thought I was hearing things so I went to check it out. Man you should have been there with me. It was amazing. Anyway, back to the point. I asked him to come in today to show you guys his skills. If you don't feel the same way I do, well, we'll just have to keep searching. Ichigo, you ready? We have a kit in the sound proof booth over there." His eyes met the drummers.

"Oh, yeah. I guess so."

Ichigo got up from the chair and headed towards the booth at the back of the room. The front wall was facing the large lounge room, a long glass window covering most of it. He arranged the drums so that they were facing the window and moved everything else away so he had room to play. He was more nervous now, so when he sat on the stool in front of the kit and picked up the sticks he had to take a few breaths before closing his eyes, his right hand hovering over the top left syllable and his left over the snare drum. Keeping his eyes closed he took another deep breath and pressed his foot down on the kick drum, starting his beat. As soon as the sound from the kick drum was reverberated through the room, it went straight through Ichigo and he was instantly lost in his music. From where he sat and being able to see Ichigo play, all Grimmjow could think was, 'beautiful'. Not just the music but the way Ichigo was playing was absolutely beautiful. He looked over at the other two. Hallibel's mouth was parted slightly as she bobed her head to the beat, her eyes closed. Uluquiorra's face remained unchanged, but Grimm caught a glimmer of something in his eyes. Admiration? But whatever it was, it went just as fast as it came. He smiled to himself.

_'Looks like we're keeping the Berry. Now I get to play with him.'_

When the last beats rang out, Ichigo opened his eyes and instantly looked at Grimm, who was applauding and smiling widely. He then moved his gaze to the other two band members. The blonde, he knew was Hallibel, had awe etched into her features, her grin mimicked Grimmjow's and she was also clapping. Uluquiorra on the other hand still had a neutral expression, but the drummer swears that he saw something in his eyes. It must have been in his head. With a small sigh and a smile, Ichigo got up from the stool and exited the sound proof booth, walking into the lounge room shaking a little from nerves, awaiting judgement. He was asked to sit while the others went off into another little room while they talked about whether or not they would bring him into the band. As he sat there, he became more nervous and began fiddling with his hands and jiggling his legs. Even though they had been gone for a matter of minutes, every passing second was making Ichigo anxious, which made him worry about if he was allowed to become part of the band or not. He leant forward and placed his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands. Hearing a door open he froze, hearing nothing but soft foot falls on the plush white carpet. He was afraid to look up, but he did anyway and again sought out eye contact with Grimmjow. The vocalist's eyes held a glint of happiness, but his features were as expressionless as Uluquiorra's and so were Hallibel's. The three sat down and again unconsciously formed an awkward circle with the drummer. Grimmjow could clearly tell that Ichigo was nervous, as it was written all over him. Though he should have no reason to be nervous, even after his performance, Grimm himself would feel that way too, if he was in his position. There was a silence, building up the tension, then the heavy atmosphere broke like cracks breaking through a porcelain mask when Grimmjow smiled.

"You're in, dude."

Ichigo let his breath out in a long drawn out sigh, though he didn't even realise he was holding it. Relief washed through him and he put his face back into his hands for a couple of minutes then he looked back up and let his gaze roll over ever band members.

"Ah, man. Thanks, you guys. For giving me this chance. I swear I won't let you down and I will do my best in this band." As he said the last sentence Ichigo got up from his seat and bowed low, totally forgetting it's not needed. He also added "_doozo yoroshiku_" at the end out of habit. The others looked confused by this display, except for Grimmjow who stood from his seat and walked over to Ichigo. The drummer looked up, then he straightened as he realised what he did.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot." He scratched the back of his neck.

"It is okay. You'll soon get over it." Grimm said, smiling. He went and sat back down in his spot, an awkward silence filling the room. Hal was the one to break it.

"What does_ doozo yoroshiku_ mean?"

Ichigo turned his gaze from the carpet to Hallibel, eyes surprised.

"Ahh, sorry I didn't mean to say that. I's out of habit. The closest I can translate it to, in english, is 'I am in your favour'. It is Japanese."

"Wow that is really intersesting. So, are you Japanese then?"

"No. I was born in England, but..." Ichigo trailed off, looking at the ground. He realised that he had never told anyone about his mother or his life. He didn't really have any friends here so he was alone. His dad was back in Japan with his two sisters still running his home medical clinic. If he was to join this band, he had to become friends with them. He was almost there with Grimmjow anyway, so it would be better to continue. Friends are always important. He saw through the corner of his eye that Grimm was about to say something, so he continued his story, effectively stopping any concern that was going to be expressed.

"I was born in England. My mother was English and my father was Japanese. They met on some sort of tsunami volunteer help group. Anyway," he took a breath to stop it from wavering, "my mother got really sick after she gave birth to my younger sisters and so she had to be kept in the ICU in England. Though my dad is a doctor, he couldn't do anything for her. So I lived in England with my twin sisters until I was 9. During that time my dad ended up speaking Japanese since he didn't have anyone to talk with and so we picked up on that language not English. I learnt a little English as I had to communicate with my mum somehow when we went to visit her. One night..." he trailed off again. He couldn't continue. He still has nightmares about this incident. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes so he kept his head down.

"I am sorry. My explanation turned out to be a life story. Please excuse me." And with that Ichigo briskly walked out of the studio. He found an unlocked and unused room not far from the studio and locked himself in. He leaned against the door and slid down to the floor so he was sitting with his knees up to his chest. He put his arms around his legs and rested his head against his knees. That was when he let it all out. His tears fell over the edge and rolled down his cheeks, all the while he was chanting the word "_Ookaasan." _over and over again.

The three members of 'Arrancar' didn't have time to fit in a word when Ichigo left the room. After the door shut, they stared at nothing out of bafflement. They really had no idea what just happened. Uluquiorra was the first to break yet another silence between the band members.

"Did we miss something?" he asked, his voice still monotonous.

Grimm just shook his head.

"I think it may be a Japanese thing. He told me at the club yesterday that the bowing thing was a way to pay respect to those of higher status than oneself. He is very modest too, so maybe this is also another thing of Japanese custom?" The others shrugged. They had no idea what to do now. They were going to practise their new song, they probably still could without the drummer but it won't be right. Grimmjow got up and headed for the door. With his hand on the handle, he turned to shout over his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get Ichigo. I shouldn't be too long." And with that he swung open the door and stepped through the thresh hold. He didn't know where to start. This building was huge and had many levels, so Ichigo could be anywhere. Hopefully he didn't go far. Grimm thought he would start with the bathrooms on this level. They were ten floors up. After mentally crossing off the bathrooms as a no go, the vocalist decided to go around and check all the other doors. He went around one by one, only opening the ones that were unlocked and were unoccupied. He came across a wooden door which had a plastic sign attached to it. _New Room – Unoccupied, Paint wet, Do not enter_, it read. Grimmjow was going to ignore it, but what made him stay was a low voice coming from the other side. It sounded strange, not an English word. 'Ookaasan' was quietly repeated so he turned and tried the handle but it didn't move. Just to double check he twisted and shook the handle. There was a muffled gasp from the other side of the door. It was so quiet, that someone not looking for a certain someone wouldn't have heard it, but Grimm was looking for his new drummer and so was listening to every sound. There was a sad sigh and then sniffles.

'_Was he crying?_' Grimmjow put his head against the door gently and knocked softly.

"Hey, Ichigo. Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to babble on like that. I just thought that if I was going to make friends they would have to know about me, but it turned out to be really hard to tell you guys that story. I haven't told anyone before, but then again, I have no friends over here so I had no reason to say anything," Ichigo sighed and then continued, "Sorry. There I go again, saying unnecessary things. I'll be out soon."

"Ichigo, there is no reason for you to be sorry. We don't mind and there is plenty of time to open up to us, okay? Come on and get your butt to the studio so we can start practising the new single."

There was a click as the lock on the door was turned, then the door opened slightly and an eye peeked through.

"Can I go to the bathroom first?" Ichigo asked. Grimmjow could see that his eyes were red from crying but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he stepped back from the door to give it room to open fully.

"Sure. Try not to be too long though." he said. Ichigo had his head down when he came out from the room, to try and hide his red eyes and the few tears that still escaped, but Grimmjow saw it all anyway. It was people like Ichigo that he had a soft spot for; the always happy, caring people. But when he sees them like this, he has the greatest urge to comfort them in a nice hug. It may sound girly but Grimm was known for his hugs and he loved them too. He doesn't care what other people thought. This time though, he pushed the urge back and let the new drummer have his space. Another reason he held back was because he didn't want to scare the other as he is new. He watched Ichigo turn and walk to the nearest bathroom and once he was inside Grimmjow headed back to the studio. As he walked through the door Hal and Uluquiorra immediately stopped their activities and stared at him. Hal's brow furrowed when she noticed that Ichigo wasn't with the vocalist.

"Well, did you find him?"

Grimm shut the door and sat on one of the couches.

"I did. He's just in the bathroom at the moment. He'll be back soon."

Ichigo felt so embarrassed for running out and hiding. He felt like a big arse. Sighing he turned and looked at himself in the mirror. Red rimmed eyes were all he had to show for running out.

'Good. A bit of cold water should get rid of that.' he thought relieved. Turning on the tap, Ichigo cupped his hands under the stream and splashed his face with the water. It was so nice and it had a calming effect. He repeated his actions a few times before looking back at himself. His red eyes were gone and he smiled half heartedly. He took a deep breath and headed back to the studio. Ichigo found that he became more nervous the closer he got to the studio door and when he was standing right in front of it, he had to take long breaths to calm himself. When he deemed himself ready, he opened the door, prepared for whatever the band had to say. Looking around the room after closing the door, Ichigo noticed the band were in their places, much like before, and only glanced at him when he walked into the room.

"Welcome back." Hal said, standing from her place on the white couch to approach him.

'Here we go. This is where the reprimand comes.' Ichigo internally cringed.

Hal put a hand on his shoulder and his eyes widened.

"Are you okay?"  
Ichigo sighed a silent sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I'm okay now." He smiled. Hallibel leaned in and gave Ichigo a hug.

"That's good." She said, pulling back, holding him within arms length, "So, are you ready to start our new single?"

His face beamed and he nodded enthusiastically. The band filed into the booth and Grimmjow pulled out their new lyrics. Once everyone was in position, all behind their respective instruments, Grimm turned to Ichigo.

"This is how it is going to work, Ichigo. First, I sing my notes so you guys can get a feel of the words and the tune. Then, I'll start again and basically you guys just start playing what ever comes to your head. Then once we have some sort of rhythm flowing, we can go back and fine tune it all. Got it?" he asked. The read head nodded again, then the singer began.

It's like a storm,

That cuts a path,

It breaks you will,

It feels like that.

You think you're lost,

But you're not lost on your own,

You're not alone.

I will stand by you,

I will help you through,

When you've done all you can do,

And you can't cope.

I will dry your eyes,

I will fight your fight,

I will hold you tight,

And I won't let go.

"Alright, that's the first verse and the chorus. Okay and here I go again." Grimmjow said, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath and began again.

During the first round, Ichigo was in awe as he listened to Grimm's beautiful voice. He was so captivated by it. Shaking his head to clear it, he listened to the song to try and find an opening for his beats. Hal was strumming lightly on her acoustic guitar and Uluquiorra was staring off into the distance, His index finger and thumb on on his chin, deep in thought.

Grimmjow finished and looked at Ichigo and Uluquiorra and said,

"Why didn't anyone else join in? Do you guys need me to go again?" Ichigo met his gaze and replied, "No. I just think that if this is going to be a slow song, there would be no need for me. Or at least no need for a big beat. I like Hal's strumming. It brings out the atmosphere." Nodding, Uluquiorra spoke up,

"I agree with the kid. It works if it just you two at the moment. Only if it is going to be a slow song." Grimmjow pondered this for a moment then he slowly nodded as he warmed to the idea.

"I see what you mean. Does anyone know how to play the keyboard?" Grimm asked, "Ha ha It is funny how we've been together for years and I don't know this." Ichigo raised his hand.

"I do," He said.

"Great! I have an idea. Would you be able to do a similar tune to Hallibel's?" Grimmjow asked, smiling. The drummer nodded and sat behind the keyboard that was stationed at the corner of the room, and began the tune with Hal flowing in too. At the right interval, Grimm began his song in time with the instruments.

After a few minutes Ichigo stopped, his face screwed up in a frown. Grimmjow and the others looked at him.

"What's wrong?" Hallibel asked but the drummer shook his head.

"Nothing," He said, "I think I have an idea to add. But it will require someone other than myself to play the keyboard."

"Or," Started Grimmjow, a wide smile spreading across his features, "we could add another member to our band? Of course, only if you guys don't mind."

"I'm cool with it," Ichigo stated, hand raised. Uluquiorra nodded and agreement and Hal smiled.

"I good with it too. Our little family is growing," She stated enthusiastically. The vocalist grinned.

"All right! Now I'll arrange for some flyers to be made and to be sent out tomorrow and for an ad on the TV. Now all we need to do is do as much as possible for the song so that it will be easier for the newbie." Grimmjow stated. Everyone agreed and set to work with renewed enthusiasm.

Grimmjow was on the phone to a company who make flyers as he had already organised a television advertisement. He was to pick the flyers up in the morning to deliver them to the delivering agency. Once he was done, he set his phone on his bedside table and fell onto his bed. He felt unusually happy, but he didn't ponder as to why for too long because he just wanted to enjoy it. The singer couldn't believed how well Ichigo and the others got on. He was very relieved and also excited now that they were getting another band member. As Hal said before, their little family is growing and it is about time that the band, and himself, moved on. Thinking about Ichigo, Grimmjow was contemplating whether to call hi or not, but after a few seconds he retrieved his phone and looked up the drummer's number that he had received earlier that day.

When the band had left the studio, Ichigo had been given everyone's numbers and he, in return, gave out his before they all parted for the day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Woo! Another chapter finished. Just a quick note, I made up another character to become Ichi's BF for the first half. I was gonna use Renji, but it hurts me to have him beat Ichigo. SORRY FOR THE LITTLE SPOILER! Also, all the songs that I mention in this story, are all real if you were wondering. It hurt so much writing this. It kills me to have to hurt a fav character. Sorry this took waaay to long. School, as I have said before, got in the way and now I have finished and I am getting into it again. Schoolies rocked.**

**Onward...**

Waiting by the toaster, butter knife in hand, Nutella at the ready and plate waiting, Ichigo mused about the marvellous day he had. Spending the day with his number one most favourite band, was what he had dreamed of, ever since the very first time he had heard the Arrancars. It was when he started playing the drums when he began to dream about recording with them. As he was just about to press the button to make the toast pop up, the toast did exactly that and made Ichigo jump.

"Shit! I hate it when I do that." he exclaimed, to no one in particular. While spreading Nutella over his toast, there was a chuckle as Shiro rounded a corner of their shared apartment and entered the kitchen.

"Geese Ichi. Don' ge' yer pan'ies in a twist. But I gotta admit, you are pretty cute when you try ta cover up yer embarrassment." Shiro mused. Ichigo blushed and huffed, walking to the dining table with his plate of toast.

"Shut it," he said, taking a bite then continuing, "So I thought you had a date tonight anyway?" Shiro pulled out the chair opposite the drummer.

"Yeah I do. She's working late tonight, so I have to wait 'till she calls, then I can pick her up." He said. Ichigo rose his eyebrow.

"'She'? What happened to Deryk?" He leant forward, elbows on the table and chin resting on his clasped hands. Shiro shook his head.

"He said he wasn't feeling it any more and he said that he had found someone else. I glad tha' he was honest. Right, 'nough 'bout me. You're in the band now. How do ya feel?" He asked. The red head beamed.

"I feel amazing. Over the moon. They liked my drumming and when they said that I was in, I was just...I am higher than heaven." he said. Shiro smiled a face-eating grin.

"Oh I bet you are," he drawled. "You've 'ad a crush on tha' lead singer fer ages." Ichigo's blush came back. He didn't bother with a retort as the statement was true.

"It doesn't matter that I do. He is unattainable and I am the newbie in the band. Besides, I have a boyfriend and I'm not gonna leave him 'cause I have a crush on someone unattainable. Well that and Darryl is kinda over possessive and probably won't let me go if I were to leave." Ichigo laughed. Shiro frowned and crossed his arms in front of him on the table.

"Ichi, I know I've said this before, but I don't like 'im. He gives me a bad vibe. I 'aven't said anything more 'cause you like 'im, a lot and you seem to see something in 'im that I don't. But, I say this once and once only, if he does anything to hurt you, he's a dead man walkin'." Shiro was serious and Ichigo knew it. He was always over protective, but Ichigo understood him and didn't ask him any questions.

"Okay, Shi." He said, tone just as serious as Shirosaki's. A faint tune started, then it became louder until it became recognisable as Shiro's ring tone. The name of the song was 'Gangnam Style'. Ichigo shook his head at the ridiculous song as his friend took his call. He picked up his plate and took it to the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher. Sighing he went to his room to check his phone. Ichigo had organised a date with Darryl so he could tell him the good news, but his boyfriend hadn't replied to his message. Dropping onto his bed, laying on his stomach, he stretched to his bed side table to grab his phone. He had one new message and it was from his boyfriend.

_'Hey, Ichi. I'll meet you at that restaurant where we met. I should be off work in half an hour, though I may be a tad late, but it depends if my boss will let me leave on time tonight. So I'll see you there.'_ Ichigo locked his phone and dropped it on the bed, getting up to strip. He picked up his towel from the foot-board of his bed and wrapped it around his waist and walked out of the bedroom, seeking Shiro. He found him in his room, also naked, as he had just finished his shower walking out of his ensuite.

"Ah, Shi! Cover up for a sec will ya?" Ichigo said turning his back to the bedroom. Shiro just laughed.

"Fine, ya wuss. And we've been friends fer how long now? What do you want?" he smirked.

"I just came to tell you that I also have a date. Just so you know where I am if you happen to be home before me. Don't expect me home either, 'kay?" Ichigo said, his back still to the room, but he turned when Shiro spoke.

"Okay. I don't know if I'll be home either, so if ya need me I'll 'ave my cell on. It doesn't matter what time or where ya are, I'll be there. Alright?" he stated seriously. The red head sighed.

"Yes, Shi. I understand. I'll keep my phone on too. I'm going to shower now. If you're gone before I've finished, see ya and I'll talk to you tomorrow." Ichigo waved and left the room for his own.

Sitting at a polished, silver table, Ichigo was tapping his foot to the music that was playing in the background. It had a good beat and had a nice dance-y feel to it. It was the song Boom Boom by Justice Crew. Ichigo had seen them on TV and he thought they could dance well, though he had seen better such as the Jabbawokeez. He was in his own world listening to the new song that was on the speakers now. It was called Heartbreaker by G-Dragon featuring Flo Rida and Ichigo didn't think it was that bad. It had a good beat but he didn't understand what G-Dragon was saying as it was Korean. That was one of the things he liked about this cafè; It played music from all over the world and sold so many foodstuffs from many cultures. There was a faint bell sounding as someone walked into the cafè, but Ichigo didn't take any notice. The new comer ordered a strong, black coffee and walked slowly over to where the red head sat. He put his hands over Ichigo's eyes.

"Guess who?" the new comer laughed. Ichigo jumped a little when he felt someone touch him but he relaxed when he heard his boyfriend's voice.

"Hi, Darryl," the red head laughed in return, then asked, "How was work?" Darryl took the seat opposite from Ichigo and stretched.

"Oh it was alright. Boring. So what was it that you wanted to tell me?" he asked, leaning forward on his elbows. Ichigo's face lit up so bright and all the giddiness came back ten fold.

"I got a job," he stopped, barely able to keep in a wide grin and excitement, "I got a job in a band." Darryl rose his eyebrow and sighed.

"Ichigo, I know it has been your dream to play in a band, but, though starting small can be a good thing, you won't be able to get any higher in a small band. No one will recognise your talent." he said. Ichigo's smile faltered for the smallest of seconds but he regained it when he began to explain about what happened with the Arrancars. Their coffees arrived and Ichigo carried on with his explanation. It must have been his imagination, but every time he mentioned Grimmjow, his boyfriend's jaw seemed to tick and there was a small flicker of something in his eyes. Ichigo just shrugged it off and continued with his story.

"So when they said I was in, we went ahead and started to put together their new single. I am really happy and excited and I could just jump with joy." Ichigo said, squirming in his seat. There was another flash in his boyfriend's eyes, but, again, he brushed it off as a trick of the light. Darryl abruptly stood up from his chair and chucked some money on the table.

"Come on, Ichigo. Let's leave." he said. The red head was really confused about the sudden change, but he followed anyway. As he stepped through the thresh hold of the cafè, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket and play his ring tone, which was Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5. That was his tone for Shiro, so he quickly pressed the answer button.

"Hey Shi. What's up?" he asked.

"Not'in. Just checkin' up on ya. How's yer date goin'? Shiro inquired. Ichigo just sighed and glanced at his boyfriend, who was looking back at him as he had slowed his pace to a stop.

"Well I told him the news, then—"

"Who is it?" Darryl asked, having to raise his voice a little as he was ahead of Ichigo by a few paces. The red head didn't hear him and continued.

"—his attitude suddenly changed. At the first mention that I was in a good band that was famous all over the world, he got weird. I don't know what I mean by that, but there was a change in his mood. I'll ask him about it when—" he didn't get to finish his sentence as his phone was ripped out of his hand and Darryl hung up the call.

"Darryl, what the hell?" Ichigo yelled furiously.

"Who the hell were you talking to?" Darryl snapped. Ichigo's mouth dropped open.

"It was Shiro, if you really have to know. Why?" he snapped back. The red head's boyfriend's face twisted in anger.

"How dare you talk to me like that. I have a right to know who is calling you on our date. For all I know, it could have been that shitty vocalist from that band you're in. You're mine and with an ass like yours, anyone would wanna have it. But I got in first." he retorted. Ichigo's face fell.

"I will pretend you did not say that and we will talk about this when we are not in public." he said calmly, glancing at passer byers, starting to walk in the direction of his home. Darryl grabbed his wrist and pulled him the other way.

"Where do you think you're going? We're going to mine. Shiro lives with you and I don't want him knowing our personal business." he said. Ichigo decided to bite his tongue until he got to Darryl's house.

As soon as the door closed behind the two, everything hit the fan.

"What am I to you! Just some hot stuff for you to _own _and flaunt! I cannot believe you said that!_ And_ you can't say, 'How dare I', when I have a right to say and do what I want!" Ichigo yelled, face red with rage.

"Yes! You are mine! I own you and you are my bitch! I tell you what to do and you are supposed to be the good, quiet and obedient little bitch you are! And if you don't comply I will have to put you in your place!" Darryl said, now right in Ichigo's face.

"You didn't just..._I_ will be put in _my _place? I know what this is. I cannot believe you're jealous. I've known Grimmjow for a day and you seriously don't trust me enough that you think I will run off with anybody you believe to be competition?" the red head said.

"You think I'm jealous?" Darryl asked.

"I _know_ you are jealous. The way you flinch when I mention Grimmjow's name—there it is again—it is hard not to come to that conclusion." Ichigo stated.

"I do not—" he cut his boyfriend off.

"Grimmjow...Grimmjow...hmm. There it is again. Swallow your pride and admit that you are jealous! It wouldn't have bothered me if you told me you were just jealous, but acting in this way—" Ichigo gasped as he was suddenly punched in the face and was pushed up against a wall, his head banging against the white plaster, making the drummer see stars. Then there was another hit. This time to his stomach, having Ichigo double over on the ground when Darryl released him.

"How _dare_ you tease me! I am much stronger than you and I will have my way with you." Darryl spat.

"You ass hole," Ichigo managed to say through the pain in his stomach. He grabbed his boyfriend's ankle and pulled, hard, putting him off balance and causing him to fall. He landed on his back, which was a perfect opportunity for Ichigo, as he climbed on his chest and began hitting his face.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

As he was about to throw a fourth, Darryl caught his arm and reversed their positions. With Darryl being the heavier of the two, it was hard for Ichigo to move and his hands were caught in a vice grip above his head. This was where Darryl showed himself. Leaning over Ichigo, his hand still clenched around the red head's, he raised his free hand and went all out. Being pinned down under such a heavy weight, unable to move, Ichigo was feeling helpless and weak for the first time in his life. He always managed to find a way around fights and brawls so he could win, but he had never, under any circumstances, been in this position before. Darryl had finally stopped bashing his face, though Ichigo couldn't feel it now anyway, and stood up, walking away. Ichigo's head felt heavy, his body just as heavy and he could finally breathe since the weight moved. He slowly moved his arms down to his sides, his right hand going for his pocket where his phone was. He could hear some rattling somewhere in the house and so he needed to be quick. Pulling out his phone, he brought up the key pad and pressed the number '1' for the speed dial to Shiro. It barely rang once and Shiro was already answering.

"Hello? Ichi? What's up?" he asked.

"Shi~! Come back to bed. It's cold," A woman's voice whined through the phone.

"It's Ichi. I'll be there in a sec," Shiro reassured. "Ichi, if ya don' answer me in thir'y seconds, I'm coming straight over," he warned, the woman telling him not to leave in the background. Ichigo tried to talk but he was too tired from his head being bashed in. As he was about to try for a second time, the phone was, once again, yanked out of his hand. Darryl had a nasty smirk on his face and it chilled Ichigo to the bone. He held the phone away from his ear then began talking.

"Ichigo," he started in a light hearted voice, sounding like the good man Ichigo thought he was, "What did I say about disturbing Shiro? You told me he was on a date. I don't think he would appreciate it if you go and ruin it." He brought the phone to his ear and talked straight to Shiro.

"Hey Shiro, Ichi's had a bit too much to drink. Sorry if he disturbed you and your date. Goodnight." he said and hung up, throwing the phone to the other side of the room.

"What did I say before? I don't want him to be in our business. What we do has nothing to do with him. If I hear that you have opened your big mouth, you will get a severe punishment. Worse than what you are getting tonight." He said. Voice calm and his face hovering over Ichigo's from where he was on the ground. Darryl stayed in that position and roughly clasped Ichigo's wrists. It wasn't until it was too late, when Ichigo realised he had been handcuffed as the cold metal touched his skin.

"You bastard," he managed to spit past his swollen lips.

"Awww, be nice Ichi," he started, Ichigo shuddering at his once favoured nick name, "'Cause if you don't, you'll have a worse night than what you have already earned yourself." he finished with a sick grin. Standing, he dragged Ichigo to the bedroom by the chain between the handcuffs. The red head wasn't going to go down without a fight. By using the strength he had gained from his little break on the ground, he twisted his whole body around and succeeded when Darryl let go of him as he yelped in pain from his skin being nipped by the chain and from his hand being twisted so forcefully.

"Fuck! You bastard! Now you are going to pay. I was just going to let you off lightly tonight, but you have earned yourself something worse. No one is going to help you." He said heatedly. He grabbed Ichigo's wrists and dragged him the rest of the way to the bedroom, managing to keep a hold although the red head was thrashing. Picking up Ichigo by the waist, though not without another punch to the face, he chucked him on the bed, successfully able to chain his wrists to the bed posts while dodging fists.

"Fuck!" Ichigo yelled out, while trying and failing to tug on the handcuffs, "What the hell are you doing? Why were you good to me, then suddenly, when you think you have competition, decide to try and domesticate me? It doesn't make sense. But it is obvious that this is your true personality and I am so glad that I know that now and not later down the track if we decide to get serious." Darryl looked at Ichigo from the chest of drawers he was rifling through.

"What do you mean by serious?" He asked, generally curious.

"Well, living together. That sort of thing. But I'm glad it didn't come to that, 'cause now I know the real you and what a fucking arse-hole you are!" Ichigo yelled again. Darryl laughed and turned back to the drawers. With a small "Ah hah!" he straightened and Ichigo shuddered once again, dreading what was to come. He wasn't going to stop fighting no matter what came at him, but he was sure, if he wasn't able to get away, if he was going to be able to stay sane and whole and lively. If it came to that, he would like to fight all the way and not just give up on the first round of abuse.

Darryl turned around and in his hands were another set of cuffs, except that the chain was longer between the cuffs. Ichigo pulled himself into much of a sitting position as possible and raised his legs, ready to lash out. Darryl slowly walked over to the side of his bed, playing with the handcuffs.

"Now, now, Ichi. You have already made this hard for you, be compliant." he said, reaching for one of Ichigo's ankles. He was just about to take a hold of Ichigo's foot when the red head kicked out with a force that shoved Darryl off his feet and into the wall adjacent to the bed, his head bashing against it with a crack, then he was sliding to the floor, out cold.

"Good going Ichigo. What'cha gonna do now? You're stuck in handcuffs, chained to the bed and you have nothing to do but wait for your abusive boyfriend to wake up and beat the shit outta you." Ichigo sighed to himself. If only his phone was still in his pocket he could try and call Shiro again, but no. He had to ring him before and he got caught. Something caught Ichigo's attention and it was his phone's ringtone. When it rose in volume, he realised that it was Grimmjow as the song set for him was playing throughout the house.

"Well, shit." He said.

The phone was ringing and ringing until the voice mail picked up. Grimmjow groaned and hung up. It was a good thing that the red head didn't pick up as he didn't know what he would say, except to congratulate him again on being accepted in the band. But he couldn't understand this weird sensation in his stomach was, but he felt like something was wrong. Shrugging, he pocketed his phone in his form fitting jeans and shrugged on a jacket over his tight, grey shirt and left the house in search of loud music and alcohol.

Unconsciously, Grimmjow parked across from the Smokin' Bodies Club. He didn't realise where he was until he saw his brute of a friend, Kenpachi. They exchanged small talk and Grimm was let in. Looking around, he found the bar and sat, ordering a beer. He looked over at the stage where he first saw Ichigo, but found that it was empty.

"Hey, just wondering, where is the drummer?" Grimmjow asked the bartender when he came closer to him. The bartender had to lean on his elbows to hear what the vocalist was saying.

"I dunno." He started, "He was meant to play tonight but there is no sign of him. He didn't even ring in to say he was gonna be absent."

"Huh," Grimm said. The weird feeling came shooting back, but he didn't know what to do about it. So he just sat there and skulled his beer. He ordered another and skulled that within seconds of receiving it and then left the club to go home and to try and sleep off the feeling.

Ichigo awoke to light streaming through the bedroom window and a tugging on his legs. It was the cuffs Darryl held yesterday and his legs were also chained to the bed posts.

_'Damn bastard managed to cuff me while I was asleep!'_ He was now totally defenceless. No arms to punch or lash out and no legs to thrash about and kick. The handcuffs gave Ichigo little movement and he was sore from lying on his back for so long. He suddenly stilled, remembering why he was handcuffed in the first place and listened for noises. But, fortunately, there was no one in the house. Sighing, Ichigo let his head rest back against the soft pillows and turn to the side. That's when his heart froze. There were boxes upon boxes of his stuff in the room. They were labelled; Clothes, books, shoes, etc. .

_'Shiro couldn't have complied to this!' _Ichigo thought, _'Oh no. Did he do something to Shiro?'_ He started to panic. His eyes were searching frantically around for something, anything that could help him, but of course, there was nothing. Getting frustrated he yelled as loud as he could, shouting for help, but Ichigo remembered that Darryl's house was made out of thick brick and stone and it was literally sound proof. It used to be one of the reasons Ichigo liked the house, because he could moan and scream all he wanted without having to worry about the neighbours. At this point in time, though, he cursed the house. Suddenly becoming terribly angry at his own helplessness, Ichigo began to thrash against the cuffs. Hoping that the old bed would break under the pressure. He remembered when Darryl and himself had sex, it would creak really badly and it was cracking. After about a few minutes he was out of breath and was exhausted. His wrists and ankles were sore and red, probably going to bruise and his right hand was bleeding a bit.

"Fuck~!" He said, through his teeth drawing out the word. He suddenly had a wave of heat rush through him and he heart still hadn't slowed down. Ichigo was becoming very uncomfortable and fidgety. He couldn't stop from wriggling around to try and get comfortable, but it was impossible. He was too focussed on his discomfort to hear the front door slam. It wasn't until Darryl came closer to the bedroom that Ichigo heard the footsteps. He stilled on the bed, glaring daggers at the open door where his boyfriend stood. Darryl just smirked and slowly walked into the room, stopping at the wall next to the door to put down is bag.

"How are you feeling, Ichi? Hot and bothered by any chance? Any discomfort?" he said, smirk still plastered on his face. Ichigo's face fell.

"You didn't?" He questioned, realising what Darryl had done, "You bastard!" he yelled, feeling a wave of heat flood over him again and shuddering at the thoughts of what Darryl was going to do to him.

"I take that as a yes? Good." his boyfriend grinned. Darryl reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of scissors and he set them on the bed. He then went to his walk in wardrobe and shut the sliding door. Seconds later he came out stark naked, brandishing a small and very sharp knife. Ichigo's heart faltered and inside he screamed "Holyfuckin'shit! Not again, not again!" over and over again. His breathing became harsher as Darryl strut over to the bed and began removing his shoes and socks. Ichigo couldn't speak as memories from his last boyfriend came rushing back. When the shoes and socks were discarded on the floor, Darryl picked up the scissors and began cutting Ichigo's skinny jeans, from the cuffs at both ankles to the belt. Ichigo wriggled as much as he could trying to fight off Darryl and his imaginary ex-boyfriend, but the handcuffs didn't allow much movement and therefore it didn't hinder Darryl in any way. Once both legs were cut, Darryl straddled Ichigo and untied his belt, throwing it away on the ground. He then continued to cut through the jeans until they were able to be removed from Ichigo's body. He decided to leave the light blue boxers on and cut the shirt. Ichigo's breath was still coming in short pants, mostly from re-living his past. He whimpered a little, wanting to get away from what was to come and to cuddle into Shiro. Darryl just smirked at the little sound and continued his ministrations until the shirt was off and thrown on the ground. He looked down at Ichigo from his perch on his crotch, smiling at the distress he could see in the chocolaty depths.

"Now, Ichigo, it is time for the fun part," Darryl said, with a wicked smile. Ichigo internally shuddered and kept his eyes either up at the ceiling, or on the walls beside him. He refused to look at Darryl, and in his drugged up state, he didn't know what he was going to do to him, so he squeezed his eyes shut. Cold, wet lips touched Ichigo's collar bone and he let out a small whimper. Any other time Ichigo would have let out a sexy moan, but right now he felt dirty and used and horny from the drugs. Darryl began to move down after making a mark on the collar bone. He kept stopping at random intervals to leave marks. After he reached Ichigo's hip, Darryl sat up straight and admired his work for a second before grabbing the knife he has discarded on the side of the bed. Ichigo opened his eyes because Darryl stopped his activities, but he was horrified all over again when he saw the knife. Darryl saw the horror and his grin widened, lowering the cold knife to Ichigo's face and caressing his cheek with the side of it. Slowly, Darryl trailed the side of the knife from Ichigo's cheek to his first mark. Once at the mark, he turned the knife so the sharpened side was touching the skin. Ichigo whimpered again, still not able to talk, fear and memories from the past engulfing him. He hissed in pain as the knife bit into his skin and slowly trailed downward toward the next mark. Darryl was playing dot-to-dot with Ichigo's body and all the drummer could do was whimper in pain. After what seemed like hours, Darryl finally stopped and got off Ichigo. He picked up the scissors he threw on the ground before and walked up to the side of the bed. Ichigo started to wriggle around again, knowing that it's almost _that_ time.

"Please, Darryl," Ichigo pleaded, "I don't want this. Don't you have any compassion? You know, you can't keep me here 'cause people will start looking for me, especially Shiro." He knew he sounded pathetic, but he couldn't help it. The memories he had shoved to the back of his mind have resurfaced and the fear and the pain came with it and he was now desperate, not wanting to feel like that ever again.

"I'm not gonna keep you here. I know that albino prick will come looking for you. But you aren't going to tell him about this are you? 'Cause you know the consequence for that. Even if you do tell, I am one hard bastard to find once I am hidden." Darryl told him, his smirk widening. The cold metal of the scissors touched Ichigo's thigh as Darryl started to cut his boxers, starting from the bottom to the elastic. The drummer's heart was bashing wildly against his rib cage now as more unbidden images came back from the dead to taunt him.

"Darryl! Please stop!" he screamed at him, but his words fell upon deaf ears.

_'I will _not_ be "broken" again! I won't, I won't!'_ Ichigo kept telling himself, trying to keep emotionally stable for the second time in his life. Closing his eyes, he unconsciously went to his 'inner world', where the pain cannot be felt and where he holes himself when traumatic events occur, while Darryl had his way with his body.

**If there are any spelling mistakes, I am sorry. I did the best I can going through the story and fixing it up. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

** Yey! Another chapter out! Oh my gosh it took so long. I was soo pre-occupied with bleach and one piece and ther books. But finally, I managed it!**

Slouching on his chair, Ichigo was silently eating breakfast but without really tasting it. He was only half aware of what he was doing. Yesterday was terrifying. He couldn't help the unbidden memories that came rushing back as he re-lived his horrific past. The images were as bright and vivid as day and the emotions and feelings so strong that it could have happened yesterday...which it kinda did. Being beaten and taken over and over again all day yesterday didn't do anything to help his resolve to got out of this relationship...or house for that matter. Mechanically, Ichigo moved from his seat to clean up his mess from breakfast, then went straight to the lounge room of Darryl's house. On the coffee table there was an A4 sized note pad and pen. Ichigo picked them up and started writing, not realising what he was doing.

After an hour or so his phone rang, disturbing his work. Ichigo blinked a couple of times, as if just waking up from a long sleep and looked at the paper. He had written a song. Frowning, he turned to the source of the noise, but he realised his phone was on the floor near the front door, where it was left after Darryl had thrown it. Shooting from his seat, not without a shooting pain from his back and his other wounds, Ichigo raced to his phone and practically dived for it.

"Hello," he answered voice thick and heavy and a tad raspy due to the wounds on his face and body affecting him talking.

"Icchi? Oh my god! I'm so worried 'bout ya! I haven't heard from ya in a day! Wha's wrong wit' ya? Why didn' I get told tha' ya moved in wit' da prick! Ya didn' even ring me! What happened las' night? Did 'e ge' ya drunk? Did 'e touch ya?" Shiro yelled down the line, voice devoid of all but worry. Ichigo had to clear his throat to try and sound normal.

"Nothing's wrong. I got into a fight and Darryl helped with my wounds. Sorry I didn't wanna go home and worry you," he started, it wasn't a total lie, "I did drink. Sorry about that call last night. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I moved in with him. It took me by surprise too." The more Ichigo talked with his beloved room mate, the more his voice constricted as new emotion rose to the top. He took a steadying breath and sniffed a bit to try and gather his wits, but Shiro caught on.

"Icchi? I know som'in's wrong. Now you either tell me or I'm comin' over." he said sternly. Icchi couldn't lie to Shi, he never had and he wont start now, whether it'll earn him another beating or not. One tear rolled down his cheek as he whispered into the phone before hanging up.

Shiro was already dialling Ichigo as he walked through the threshold of his apartment, kicking the door closed behind him and chucking his shopping on the counter. Waiting for the red head to pick up, Shiro wondered around the house. Something was off. Something was missing. He went into Icchi's room, only to find it completely empty. When Ichigo's voice answered the call, Shiro was filled with relief as he thought Darryl might have had it. His voice sounded deeper, in a sense, and raspy as if he used his voice too much or not much at all. Before he could stop himself, Shiro was rambling down the phone.

"Icchi? Oh my god! I'm so worried 'bout ya! Wha's wrong wit' ya? Why didn' I get told tha' ya moved in wit' da prick! Ya didn' even ring me! What happened las' night? Did 'e ge' ya drunk? Did 'e touch ya?" he yelled. He heard Ichigo clear his throat before speaking.

"Nothing's wrong. I got into a fight," he started, "I did drink. Sorry about that call last night. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I moved in with him. It took me by surprise too." There was an intake of breath and a barely audible sound of a sniffle. It pulled at Shiro.

"Icchi? I know som'in's wrong. Now you either tell me or I'm comin' over." he said with authority.

"Come to me, Shi. Please." the drummer whispered sadly, then he hung up. That was all the invitation Shirosaki needed before he headed out the door again and sped towards Ichigo in his white with silver stripe Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible.

Shiro parked his car a few houses down from Darryl's house, so he could scout out the area to see if Darryl was anywhere. His car was gone, so that was a good sign. Sprinting to the front door, he knocked rapidly. There was a small shuffling then the door opened. What Shiro saw made him want to cry and beat Darryl into a bloody pulp. Ichigo was almost covered in bruises, he had a split lip and black eyes.

"Icchi—" he started, but the red head cut him off as he hugged him. He was shaking.

"Icchi—" Shiro began again, but was again cut off.

"Just take me home, Shi," Ichigo whispered. Shiro just nodded and led him towards the car. There was nothing said on the way back to the apartment.

After they entered the apartment, Shiro led Ichigo to the couch. He then went into the kitchen to make Ichigo his favourite hot chocolate.

Putting the drink on the coffee table in front of him, Shiro sat on the couch next to Ichigo and put his arm around him. The red head had his knees drawn up and his head was resting atop them.

"It's okay if ya cry Icchi," Shiro softly said, while rubbing small circles on his back.

"I'm not going to cry, Shi. I'm not that weak," Ichigo whispered, though his voice betrayed him as it cracked and wavered at the end.

"Icchi, crying don't mean ya weak," Shiro frowned, "It shows that ya can feel and have compassion. Unlike a certain someone..."

"No, no, no...it means I'm weak, weak, weak..." Ichigo trailed off, now beginning to slowly rock back and forth with unwanted tears streaming down his face. Shiro didn't bother to say anything more and continued to rub up and down his back, while his free arm circled the other and his head rested on his.

Shiro kept eyeing down Ichigo's hot chocolate for what seemed like ages, but it was only a matter of minutes. It seemed to have cooled down a bit and Ichigo needed it. He had stopped crying now and he was silent.

"Icchi, here drink up. Ya can go 'n 'ave a nap in mah bed after," Shirosaki said softly. The red head slowly nodded and crossed his legs, carefully grabbing his hot drink and bringing it to his lips. After one gulp, he let out a satisfied sigh. He was so tired. He couldn't sleep last night as his thoughts were filled with his past and his new horrific memories.  
When Darryl finished for the final time that day, he unchained Ichigo wrapped him up tightly in his arms before quickly falling asleep. Ichigo was too hurt, embarrassed and ashamed to go to sleep. He hurt too much from his beatings and the sex, he was embarrassed and ashamed at himself for letting himself getting into this type of relationship once again. He thought he was stronger, but apparently not. He was awake for a long time, looking back at his previous relationship, but he doesn't remember falling asleep until waking up that morning...without Darryl.

As soon as Ichigo touched down on the soft bed, he curled into a ball, shut his eyes and inhaled the familiar scent of Shiro.

"Okay Icchi. I'll be out in the lounge if you need me. Just yell out," Shirosaki said softly, stoking the red head's hair affectionately. Ichigo moaned and shook his head, eyes till closed.

"Shi...will you stay with me?" he asked. His room mate smiled a sad smile and spoke a quiet "yes" before getting into bed behind him. Ichigo immediately shuffled closer to his friend and snuggled closer, then after a few silent moments, his breathing evened out as he finally feeling into a deep slumber.

_SMACK! THUD! SMACK! Tears were streaming from his eyes, voice so raw and swollen from screaming and crying, that he couldn't use it any more. The only protest was in his mind. Another punch to the face, making his head bounce off the headboard and another thrust not a second after._

_ "You like that Icchi, don' cha? You whore! You're mah bitch. Ya let me do wha' I wan' wit' cha!" the brute snarled, leaning in close to his ear. Ichigo flinched but he couldn't move much due to to chains that bound his hands to the headboard and the chains that held his legs apart. Painful thrust after painful thrust, Ichigo let out silent screams. The tank above him sweating and thoroughly enjoying himself pounding into a bloodied, battered and bruised red head. His breath was coming in and out faster now and Ichigo knew that the brute and himself was close. The tank came first with a loud satisfied groan. He looked at the red head and spotted that he was still wearing the cock ring that he had placed on him before hand. Taking Ichigo into his hand, he gave a small tug as well as a twist and a cracked, horse voice cried out at the assault. Grabbing the cock ring, the big man yanked it off and had his mouth around Ichigo as soon as it was off. The red head couldn't help the wave of dirty, unsatisfying pleasure that came over him as he came into the tank's mouth. The Tank withdrew from in between Ichigo's legs and spat all over him.  
"Ya a filthy slut and ya can stay there 'till mornin'!" the brute yelled, heading to his ensuite to shower. Ichigo layed there, tears still flowing freely from his eyes, but before he thought he had a few minutes of recovery, the brick shit house of a man came bounding back through the door.  
"I'm not done wit ya yet! I still feel unsatisfied. You know what I want," he growled. Ichigo's eyes widened as he realised what he was going to do to him...again. He began to yell._

_ "No! No, no, no, no!" he horse voice cried out, "Don't do it, please! I'm...I'm begging you! I don't want this! Plea__—"__ he was cut off as the tank punched him again, his head rebounding off the headboard. Before he could even cry out in pain, there were more punches thrown his way.  
"Yamete!" he pleaded, not realising that he reverted back to his first language. "Dare ga tasukete~! Onegai, Onegaishimasu, Ya...Ya__—"__ he was cut off by another blow to his face, making Ichigo pass out._

Shiro quietly closed his bedroom door. He had accidentally fallen asleep too. He didn't get much sleep last night, due to his worry over Ichigo. He looked at the clock on the wall, it was 12:15.  
_'Damn, I slept for a good two hours,'_ he thought, stretching. He decided he needed something to keep himself awake, so Shiro headed to the kitchen to make himself a strong cup of coffee.  
As soon as he sat on the couch, a tone started up. Recognising it as Ichigo's phone he bolted to the bedroom to retrieve the buzzing technology from the beside table. Letting out a sigh of relief as the red head was still asleep, he slinked out of the bedroom once again. Before Shiro answered the phone he looked at the caller ID. It was Grimmjow.

"Hello?" his lilting voice called.

"Is this Ichigo?" the singer asked cautiously.

"No. This is his room mate Shirosaki," Shiro answered, walking back to the couch.

"Oh. Could I please speak with him?" Grimmjow asked.

"I'm 'fraid not. He's sleepin' at presen'," he replied.

"Uh, well he is late for work...again. Would you be so kind to wake him up?" the vocalist stated, "We have another band member to pick and—" Shiro cut him off.  
"Sorry, but Icchi ain't goin' ta school taday," he said. There was a pause.  
"Could I ask why not?" the singer asked ignoring the joke.

_'Ahh, I didn't think I'd need a lie this early,"_ Shiro thought anxiously.  
"He got in to a fight and needs to rest his wounds. He should be back in a day or so." he lied.

"Oh, I see. Well, tell him—" Grimmjow was cut off again, but this time by a loud cry, "What the—" he began only to be cut off by Shiro.

"Uhh, gotta go bye!" Shirosaki said, hitting end on the phone and shoving it in his pocket, not checking if he ended the call properly or not. He rushed to his bedroom and saw Ichigo on his back, thrashing around, and screaming out in pain and tears streaking his face.

"Yamete!" he yelled, "Dare ga tasukete~! Onegai, Onegaishimasu Ya...Ya" he continued crying, trailing off and his voice breaking at the end. Good thing Shiro knew Japanese, otherwise he wouldn't know what was going on.

**(Yamete = stop, or something close to that translation ****–**** Dare [broken into da/re] = who ****–**** Ga is just a particle, kind of like 'the' and 'and' etc. ****–**** tasukete = to save, or to help, along those lines ****–**** Onegai/shimasu = please, the 'shimasu' makes it more polite, but much stronger than 'kudasai' which is also please. Whole sentence = someone save/help me! Please, please!)**

Shiro tried to calm Ichigo down by touching him softly and 'shhh-ing' but every time he touched the red head, he would flinch away and yell out. He hated to have to do this to Ichigo, but he was left with no choice. Shiro crawled onto the bed and pinned the red head's legs with his own, then he managed to grab his arms in his hands.

"Icchi!" He yelled, "Icchi, it's me! Shiro, Shi! I'm not going to hurt you! Wake up, Icchi! Wake up!" he kept repeating himself until he felt Ichigo calm under him. He eyes began to open and his breath was still coming in ragged pants.

"Sh-Shi?" he asked uncertainly blinking a couple of times, the image of his ex still lingering.

"Yeah, Icchi. It's me." Shiro said, climbing off his room mate. Ichigo suddenly began to bawl his eyes out, clinging to his friend as if his life depended on it.

"Shi—it—was—horrible!" Ichi tried to explain, in between hiccups, "The—nightmares—were—gone—but—now—" he cut off, burying his face in Shiro's shirt, crying once more.

"I'm here Icchi. It's okay now. You're safe. It's okay, it's okay." Shiro cooed, rubbing Ichigo's back and kissing him on his forehead.

Soft 'shh-ing' and muffled sobs continued to travel down the line to Grimmjow's ear. He didn't know what to do when he heard that scream. It was obvious now that the room mate, Shirosaki, had lied, but it may be for a good reason. When Shirosaki said bye, he was about to press the end button too, except that he was worried for Ichigo, so he listened in. It seemed that Ichigo had a nightmare, but he didn't know what about as he spoke in Japanese. He was obviously in pain and Grimmjow briefly wondered what type of past Ichigo must have had, to have such a terrifying dream. Deciding that he had heard enough, he pressed the end button and made sure that the phone did end the call. Sighing, he leant against a wall of the little tea room they had in the studio and scrubbed his hand over his face, before letting it rest on his head.

"What am I gonna do?" Grimmjow asked himself, but shook his head as he realised that he couldn't do anything, "No. I just have to be normal, but maybe I'll keep and eye out for him." Sighing once again, he left the room to join the others and was immediately met with questioning stares.  
"So..." Hallibel prompted when Grimmjow didn't say anything and sat down. He trained his gaze on the floor.  
"He got into a fight. Sometime yesterday, walking home from some place. Apparently the guys caught him off guard and did a number on him. Black eyes and all. So he thought that he would take another day off and rest his wounds. I suppose it would be hard to play the drums when you can't see and when you have other injuries." he out right lied, not looking up from the floor. The others seemed to belive the lie as they nodded their heads in acceptance, but they were slow to come around.

"Well it seems that we have to go on without him again. For the band's sake, I hope he comes back soon," Uluquiorra stated. The other band members nodded their heads and silently got to work setting up the room for their auditions for the new pianist.

They only had 5 more auditions left for the day, and next up was a woman named Yoruichi. As she walked in, there was a low sound of apriciation coming from Hal. Grimmjow just raised his eyebrow and smirked. This woman had very long, shiny, luschious hair, that hung in a pony tail down her back. She wore plain clothes; a black and white stiped, form fitting tee with grey-black jeans and to finish off she wore knee high, small healed boots. The stripy tee-shirt made her breats look very generous and it also showed off her curvaceous figure. The jeans helped her hips and butt look shapely. When she walked, she had a confident air about her as she strode up the keyboard, hips swaying with every step.

The band members sat back in their chairs, ready to hear another classical song from either Beethoven or Mozart, but what was played was fun and bouncy. Yoruichi was standing, instead of sitting on the seat provided, and was playing to her heart's content. Her fingers flying over the keys as she played the piano version of Fuwa Fuwa Time from the anime K-ON!. Grimmjow smiled and he tapped and nodded to the music, all the while glancing at Hallibel. Her expression was priceless. Her eyes were half lidded as if she was undressing Yoruichi with her eyes, and she was leaning on her elbows in the desk infront of her, with her head in her clasped hands. This was something that the vocalist could use later to tease her with. It was gonna be fun. When the song finished, Yoruichi took the stool from behind the keyboard and placed it in front of it, then sat down, facing the band members. Grimmjow didn't bother to be stoic this time around as he genually liked this chick and she was different and could definately play the keyboard, so he let the smile he could feel tugging at his lips, take over his features. To hell with the last four auditions, he was tired and it seemed as though the others liked Yoruichi too.

"We'll give you a call tomorrow about times, yeah? Thanks for comin' in and on your way out, could you please tell the others to go home. We are done," Grimmjow said. The purple haired pianist gave a knowing smirk,

"Oh I will. I knew you wouldn't say no," and with that she left.

"Ha ha ha ha! That cheeky bitch. I love her more now," Grimmjow said gleefully with a smile plastered on his face.

He slowly turned to Hal, "So...," he began drawing out the word, "You like her." It wasn't a question but a statement. Hal just gave a small nod, head held proudly.

"And your problem is?" she inquired, tilting her head. The vocalist just laughed.

"Nothin'," he shrugged, "'Tis cute 'n' all." The blonde went red in the face and Grimm couldn't hold his laughter and roared. Hallibel glared daggers into his soul and abruptly left the room.

"Well that was unnecessary of you, Grimmjow," drawled Uluquiorra, "I will take my leave too. I will see you tomorrow and I hope to see Ichigo tomorrow. Have a nice afternoon." When the door shut, Grimmjow dropped onto the large leather lounge and let out a long breath. His happy mood was now gone and he was now thinking about Ichigo. What the hell was the truth? What happened to him? Why did he have a small sense of De já vu? All he knew, was that this was going to get worse if he didn't confront the red head about it. But who was he to invade into someones life? Just like before in the tea room, Grimmjow come to a realisation that he couldn't do anything. He would just have to see how everything played out. Sighing again, the vocalist grabbed his stuff and left the studio.

** Once again please review. I kinda feel nervous about releasing this chapter coz of what is in here. So if you don't like it, please be nice and don't hate on me. Thanks again for reading.  
~Taz**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

** Yey! Another chapter is out~! I am very sorry for the long wait! I kinda got distracted at the start, but then I found out that I am will be moving back to my home country and so I had heaps of packing etc to do. This will be the last chapter I post until I get to England as it took so long in writing and posting this one. I haven't forgotten about it, so don't worry about that. XD I'm sorry again for this long wait, but I will try to get more chapters out. Anyway, enjoy. C:**

**~Taurie**

Waking up to a rapid pounding at the front door, Shiro grumbled as he staggered out of bed. On his way through the apartment, he checked the time.

_'Fuckin' 2 in 'a mornin'!' _He thought furously. Stomping up to the door, he threw it open, ready to give the person behind it a piece of his mind. But who he saw made him stop in his tracks, but his anger flared.

"Tha fuck do ya want?" Shiro yelled, walking outside and shut the door, to keep the red head asleep.

"You know wha' I want," Darryl sneered. Shiro's brows furrowed in anger.

"Yeah? Well guess wha'? You ain't 'avin' 'im! I knew ya were trouble when Icchi brought ya home that night. There's sumin' abou' ya tha' screams trouble. Ya know what? Ya actually remind me o' Icchi's ex Y—"

"Ah, ah, aaah," Darryl interrupted, "Don't say that name. 'Tis bad luck." he finished, winking and with a big smile on his face as Shiro's eyes widened.

"Ya know 'im?" the room mate slowly asked, dreading the answer.

"Oh Shirosaki," Darryl beamed, eyes gleaming evilly, "I don't just know him, he is one of my best friends."

Shiro's eyes widend once more and his mouth was agape.

"I knew it! Ya ain't touchin' 'im! Neither o' ya will! I will protect 'im," he yelled, nerves beginning to surface, as the man before him began to move closer. Shiro had never been up close with Darryl before, therefore he didn't know how truely tall nor broad the man was and a brief thought corssed his mind, _'Now I know why Icchi was so frightened.' _Darryl was so close and Shiro was ready for a fight if he initiated it. What Suprised the room mate was when Darryl leaned into his ear.

"I'm leaving town. I was planning on taking Icchi with me, but right now I'm bored of him. He is no more fun. Oh, but don't worry, I'll be back to collect him...maybe you too. You look damn right delicious right now," he whispered, leaning in further and bit down hard on Shiro's neck, earning him a pained, surprised shout. Shiro's face twisted in pain and more seething anger and pushed the bigger man back, Ichigo's trademark scowl on his own features.  
"Wha' tha' fuck you do tha' for!" he yelled, eyes fuming and his hand going to his neck.

"I was tastin' ya," Darryl chuckled. Before Shiro could say anymore, he disappeared.  
For now Ichigo was safe, but Shiro was already dreading the return of the brute, and possibly Ichigo's ex. Huffing out a breath of relief, he made his way inside, but, instead of going straight to his own bedroom, he made his way to Ichigo's room. He crept inside and carefully got into bed, but Ichigo was a light sleeper and woke up.  
"Hmmm? Shi?" he asked, still half asleep. Shiro smiled and ran his fingers through the soft orange locks, confortingly.

"Yeah, Ichi. It's me. Just go back to sleep," he said, softly.

"'Kay," Ichigo slurred, and continued to mumble intelligable things as he drifted back to sleep. Shiro got comfortable and cuddled up to his room mate, who, in return, cuddled him.

An insistent ringing filled Ichigo's room and both men who occupied the queen bed, groaned in unsion. It was Ichigo who spoke first.

"Fuck~," he said, drawing out the word, "Can't we just sleep?" he finished. Finding his phone on his bed side table, he answered it.

"Hello?" he called groggily, laying on his back.  
"Hi, Ichigo, it's Grimmjow. I know it isn't a work day, but I wanted to know if you would like to hang out with us today, and to also to meet the newbie?" Grimmjow asked.

"Um, I'll see what I'm doing then I'll get back to you," he answered, then remembered that he hadn't been at work and quickly added, "Ah, dude, I am so sorry for missing, uh, what is it? Two days of work. I...I was busy."

"No need to lie to me, Ichigo. Shiro told me all about it," Grimmjow replied, making Ichigo's heart drop.

"What...what did he tell you?" he asked, a frown covering his features as his heart pounded painfully in his chest.

"Your fight? On your way home? He said it was a gang fight and, though you gave the guys a beating, you recieved quite the injuries too. I hope you are feeling better," Grimmjow stated, playing along with the lie for now. Ichigo let out a silent sigh of relief.

"Oh, that. Yeah, well it wasn't a fair fight but I still came out on top. My injures are getting better," the red head replied, sending a stern look to Shiro, as he didn't tell him that he had spoken to the singer, but he let it slip.

"Well that is good to hear. So as I was saying before, the gang and the newbie are going to the beach for a relaxing day, and I just wanted to check up on you and to see if you wanted to come. Whether you wanna go or not, make sure you tell me or one of the others, so you don't leave us hanging. See ya," Grimm concluded and ended the call. With a big sigh, Ichigo locked his phone and chucked it on the bed. Shiro moved closer and draped his arm around Ichigo's stomach.

"Who was it and what did they want?" he asked, also irritated that he was awakend so suddenly.

"It was Grimmjow. He and the others are going to the beach to bond with the newbie. 'Cause I wasn't at work, I didn't help with the auditions and so I have no idea who they've chosen. So they want me to hang with them at the beach," Ichigo answered in return.

"Ya should go," Shiro stated, "I' would be good fer ya to get out o' tha 'ouse, and ta spen' yer day wit' someone other than me. Ya actually 'ave other friends now. Be wit' 'em and ge' ta' know 'em be'er. 'Ave fun an' put this whole ordeal be'ind ya...again."

Ichigo's face screwed up into his normal scowl.

"What? But I don't want to be away from you. You're the only person I can truly trust. What if all the guys out there, ev-even Grimmjow, are like Darryl...and _him_? What am I supposed to do then? Trust everyone and one by one get crushed over and over again? Shi, I can't go through that again. I don't know if I will able to come back. I still don't know if I will be able to fully recover this time," he replied, voice breaking in various places. Shiro tightened his arm around him.

"No' everyone is like _them_. Ya just go' unlucky. I like Grimmjow, 'n' I belive he's a good one. Wha' would it take fer me ta do, ta ge' ya ou' o' this 'ouse and ta 'ave fun?" he asked. Ichigo shugged, but a smile slowly made its way on his mouth.

"You could come with me?" the red head inquired, turning on his side to look at his friend fully. Shiro looked at him and shook his head,

"Ichi, ya know I-"

"Then I'm not going either," Ichigo interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest and huffing like a little child haveing a tantrum.

"Yer actin' like a baby. Ya didn't go through all ya self defence training ta be a wimp. Now yer goin' no ma'er wha' ya say. I'll drive ya and take ya 'ome, alright? Now ge' up and 'ave breakfast," Shiro demanded, pushing Ichigo off the bed, who landed on the ground with a thump.

"Fine," the red head grumbled, getting off the ground and headed towards the kitchen. When Ichigo was out of sight, Shiro let relief wash over him and smiled.

_'Finally, I got him to agree. If protecting him means giving him to others who could protect him where I can't, I'll gladly give him up. I just hope I'm not wrong about Grimmjow,'_ he thought, before getting up himself.

The smell of an english breakfast was overwhelming, it had Shiro drooling before he even entered the kitchen. When he seated himself at the counter, Ichigo was scrambling eggs while he waited for the sausages and the beans to cook.

"That smells amazing Icchi," he complimented, leaning over the counter to get another whiff and the cook chuckled.

"Thanks, Shi. It's almost done, so if you wanna get the cutlery for me please and set the table. Oh, and get some orange juice too please," Ichigo said, not looking up. While Shiro set the table, Ichigo plated up their breakfast and brought it to the table.

Once both plates were clear, Shiro let out a loud and satisfying belch.

"My god that was good," he smiled, leaning back in his chair.

"Shi!" Ichigo laughed, failing to sound stern.

"What?" Shiro burped out, laughing hard, as Ichigo burst into another round of laughter. With a happy sigh, Shiro looked at the clock on the wall to find that Ichigo had to get a move on and get ready.

"Ichi, ya've ta get ready. I'll clean up and tell Grimmjow your goin'," he told the red head as he began moving the plates to the kitchen. Ichigo stood up and hugged his friend.

"Thanks Shi," he replied and moved off to his room. Shiro rinsed the plates and the cutlery and put them in the dishwasher. Leaning against the counter, he went to grab his phone out of his pocket only to realise he didn't have Grimmjow's number. So he headed off to Ichigo's room. Ichigo was in the shower when Shiro walked in, so he helped himself to his friend's phone and dialled Grimmjow.

"Hello?" the singer's gruff voice answered.

"Hey. It's Shiro,"

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

" 'm jus' callin' ta say tha' Ichi is comin' taday. Wha' time are ya mee'in'?" Shiro asked.

"Awesome. Well I am about to leave now, and I think the others are already down at the beach. Hey do you want me to pick Ichigo up?" Grimmjow replied.

"No. I'll drive 'im. It's fine." Shiro answered all too quickly.

"Okay...then I'll see you there. Bye," he said slowly, then hung up. Shiro looked up from the call as Ichigo was walking into the room, hair and body still damp and a towel draped around his waist. Shiro gaped at his torso; Scars littered his tanned body, the white scar tissue standing out like a sore thumb. Ichigo never showed skin after his first abusive boyfriend, so Shiro didn't know how bad the beatings got. But now, he was more concerned for his mental health as well as being more protective. Though he had to let Ichigo go and make actual friends. The red head caught his roomie staring at his body and immediately covered up with one of the shirts he pulled from his drawers.

"Shi, stop staring!" he yelled. The room mate shook his head from his musing and looked the drummer in the eyes.

"Why didn' ya tell me i' was tha' bad? We could've preven'ed Darryl from 'happenin'. I would've been more strict on ya 'bout who ya date an' we've could a avoided this whole thing," Shiro said softly, walking over and hugging his best friend. Ichigo rested his head on his shoulder and sighed.

" I know Shi. I...I dunno. I just thought that maybe you would have seen me differently, or something. But now I see that I was being silly. Too late now though," he replied, "Alright, I need to get changed. Get out!" he yelled when Shiro didn't move, pushing him towards to door.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm goin'," he mumbled leaving the room.

Ichigo came out of his room in khaki shorts and a cream coloured, thin, long sleeved shirt, but he didn't even get one step away from the room as Shiro descended on him.

"Wha' the hell are ya wearin'? Yer goin' ta the beach fer fuck's sake. Ya don' need a shirt and ya need board shorts. Turn back aroun' 'n' ge' changed," he demanded, pushing the red head through the bedroom door once again.

"Shiro, no. First off; I'm not swimming, and second of all; there is no way am I going to parade around my scars. I'm not gunna answer the questions that will follow either. You're not even staying with me so I dunno why you're bothered with what I'm wearing," Ichigo snapped, crossing his arms and standing his ground.

"Sorry Ichi. I shouldn' push ya. But seriously, face tha truth; them scars ain't goin' anywhere. They will be there fer yer whole life. Some might disappear, but the others are there fer life. I can only imagine what yer goin' through, but ya have ta move on an' make new friends. Yeah, they may ask about yer scars, but ya don' havta tell 'em shit. They'll leave ya alone an' wait till yer comfortable enough ta tell 'em yer self. I'm not tryin'a be mean er anythin', but ya have ta face tha truth one day. Sooner rather than la'er right?" his friend lectured. Seeing Ichigo's unsettled expression made Shiro's heart clench. He walked over and embraced his roomie again, apologising for lecturing him.

"I know you're right, Shi...but I don't know if I can do it so easily. I...I will try, I really will, but I can't promise anything. Okay?" the red head compromised. Shiro nodded his head and stepped away from the embrace.

"Could ya at least change ta look tha part? Even if yer not swimmin', at least yer dressed fer tha beach, so ya won' be questioned further than, 'why aren't ya swimmin'," he said. Ichigo sighed and nodded, retreating back to his room to change.

Shiro parked in an empty space and turned the engine off. He peered over at Ichigo who was looking as nervous as a Chihuahua.

"Ya will be fine. Remember, ya don't have ta answer their questions. They'll undastand, 'kay?" he said soothingly. The red head nodded.

"Are you sure that they won't notice the foundation? I would have been fine with a long sleeved shirt," he said.

"Dude, they won' no'ice. Anyway, the foundation is wa'er proof. So if ya were ta get splashed or even go in fer a swim, it won' come off so easily. Now stop procrastina'in'. Grab yer stuff and get yer ass outta mah car," his best friend replied. Ichigo sighed and got out of the car, bag in hand. He said his good byes and walked down the trail towards the sounds of the waves and the loud shouts of the occupants of the beach.

Once Ichigo hit the sand, he immediately took off his sandles and continued his trek towards the group. They seemed to be the only ones at the beach and that was a good thing for Ichigo, as he has less people to worry about. The group were standing in a circle around their beach equipment, conversing. Not wanting to interrupt and be rude, the red head stood off to the side and waited for a break in the conversation before he spoke up, making Grimmjow and a woman Ichigo didn't recognize, jump in fright.

"Holy shit Ichigo!" the singer yelled, "You scared the hell outta me. You could have at least made some noise or something, instead of coming up the back of us silently." Grimmjow had his hand over his heart in an over dramatic gesture and breathing heavily.

When Grimmjow rased his voice, Ichigo winced instinctively, having a small flashback from his previous boyfrineds. He hoped no one saw, but infotunately Grimmjow and Uluquiorra did, though they didn't let him know.

Ichig looked down at the ground when he apologised, as he was unable to look at all the eyes that were focused on him due to them making hi uncomfortable.

"S-sorry. I-I didn't mean to scare you. I just didn't want to interrupt your conversation . Sorry again," he apologised. The vocalist smiled and told the red head that everything was all good, but internally he was frowning and questioning the strange behaviour.

Since the whole group was complete, they all placed their towels and other belongings where they wanted to sit. When they were set up, Grimmjow introduced the new comer to Ichigo.

"This is Yoruichi. She will be playing the keyboard. Yoruichi this is Ichigo, who plays the drums," the singer said. Yoruichi and the red head said their 'hi's accompanied with a firm handshake.

"Good," the vocalist started, " Now we are all aquainted...Volleyball!" he yelled, running towards Uluquiorra and Hallibel who already had the ball. Ichigo smiled his rare smile at the childishness and shook his head.

"Ooooh, berry has a crush," Yoruichi sang. The drummer sputtered and blushed.

"Wh-what? N-no. E-even if I did, he wouldn't go for someone like me. Look at him; he gorgeous, plus he-he's straight...and don't call me berry," he blubbered, "Anyway I have way too much baggage," he mumbled to him self though the pianist heard anyway. She decided to dismiss the last comment and carry on with her teasing.

"Yeah you like him. It is blatantly obvious. Also, are you seriously telling me you actually thought he was straight? You're fucking gay and I've got a better gay-dar than you! Well I'm gay too, but that's not my point. You can't possibly think he's straight?" she rambled. Ichigo was still at 'gay-dar' and the fact that she knew that he was gay, as well as the fact that she's not straight either.

" First, how did you know I bat for the same team?; Second, what the hell is a 'gay-dar'?; and thirdly, I would not have pinned you as gay," he stated. Yoruichi laughed.

"I knew you were gay as I have a gay-dar, and a gay-dar is something us girls came up with. Basically it is a skill where those of us, male or female, who can tell is someone's gay just by looking at them. It is as simple as that. No wonder you couldn't tell I was gay, your gay-dar is terrible." she answered.

"Oh," was his reply, as he was still a bit dumbfounded. Yoruichi took advantage of his silence to comment on his earlier statement.

"Why wouldn't Grimmjow go for you? True he is gorgeous, but you are too. You're also adorable and fun to play with, and I've only just met you. I'm sure if you get to know him and him you, you two will be inseparable," she said, then frowned, "There's something off about you at the moment I don't know what's wrong but I can feel it and I'm pretty sure the others can feel it too. I know I sound like a weirdo psychic or something like that, but I have an uncanny ability to read people. What ever's wrong, it is obviously hindering your ability to form any kind of relationship. I'm not one of those people that tell you to get over it or anything else like that, because if there are events that can stop someone from trusting, then it is obviously something terrible. I don't want you to tell me anything if you don't want to, but I'm here if you need me."

Ichigo smiled a little.

"Thanks, Yoruichi. You're surprisingly easy to talk to. I appreciate what you've said. Thankyou again, but I'm not ready to talk about it...I probably won't be for a while, as it is still a open wound," he replied. Suddenly he started giggling at the double meaning in what he said when it sunk in. Forgetting that he was the only one who got his little joke, he began laughing harder with tears in the corners of his eyes. Yoruichi looked at him with concern and when Ichigo caught her look through the tears, he assured her he was fine and that he made a private joke. She nodded and left it at that, asking if he wants to join the others.

When he said yes, they both jogged over to the others and they reformed the teams. Ichigo was in Hallibel's team and Yoruichi was in Grimmjow's team with Uluquiorra being the referee, not wanting to play. The game was the first to 15 points. The red head was genuinely excited to play and so he was ready to hit the ball when it came fast and hard. Back and forth the ball went, until Ichigo spiked and it hit the sand just before Grimmjow could hit it back. Hal and the red head cheered and high fived, Yoruichi smiling at Ichigo warming up a little. The game went on like that for a while, each side earning points. On the last round, both teams were tied and this round was the tie breaker. Yoruichi served the ball hard, it flying towards Hal. She hit it up for Ichigo and Ichigo spiked it, the ball hitting the sand next to Grommjow.

"Match," Uluquiorra stated. Grimmjow laughed.

"Goddamnit!" he yelled, earning another flinch from Ichigo that everyone noticed. Uluquiorra, Grimmjow and Yoruichi left well alone, having that extra sense to know when to butt out, but Hal wasn't that dismissive.

"Hey, are you alright Ichigo?" she asked in her deep tone. The other three held their breath as they saw the red head twitch, most commonly a sign for an outburst of anger, but for Ichigo it was an unconscious reaction that happens when someone asks him about his well being.

"I-I'm fine. What made you ask that?" he questioned innocently, not realising he flinched out of reflex. Hal was about to reply, but caught a severe glance from Yoruichi which made her quell her original train of thought.

"Oh, nothing. I thought you looked a little pale, it was just the light. Never mind," she lied, gving a questioning glare to the pianist.

"Oh, alright then. One more game then lunch?" The drummer offered. With everyone voicing their agreements, another game was started.

After another hour, Hallibel's team was victorious again thanks to Ichigo's athleticism. High five-ing and cheering, the victorious team headed over to their stuff to get lunch, while Uluquiorra, Grommjow and Yoruichi slowly trailed behind them. The newbie smiled at the red head's excitement and was glad to see that he was enjoying himself, the air of uncertainty, dispersed.

"What're you smiling at? We got our butts kicked," Grimmjow asked Yoruichi, catching the small smile on her face.

"Nothin' I's just nice to be out," she answered, "So, you and Ichigo, huh?" she teased, making the vocalist sputter much like Ichigo did earlier.

"What made you say that? We aren't together, we haven't known each other that long," he rambled.

"Well I just thought, with the way the two of you seem to look at each other when one of you isn't looking. Anyway, with the likes of you, I'm sure you would take anyone you wanted right? So why haven't you gone for it?" Grimmjow's mouth dropped open.

"I'm not that arrogant and just because I look confident doesn't mean that I am. I don't have an inflated ego, either, just to let you know. Ichigo is fucking gorgeous, of course, but I'm sure he has girls dangling off his arms every night," he replied, sounding almost defeated. The pianist face palmed.

"Oh, my, God! Are the both of you idiots! What's wrong with your gay-dars?" she growled to herself.

"...The both of us...? Who...what? Gay-dar?" Grimmjow wondered, then the rest of the sentence sunk in, "Hey! I'm not an idiot! What the hell is a 'gay-dar'?"

"I'm not going to explain again, but you need to get it checked. You asked me why I asked about you two, and my answer is plain and simple. It is obvious you have a crush on him and I can assure you that Ichigo is available and definitely doesn't walk straight, if you know what I mean," she snickered. He stared at her blankly, before slowly realising what she implied.

"Ooooh," he said, "Wait, how do you know?" The two had stopped walking as they were nearing the group, still wanting to talk about the red head.

"Like I said before, gay-dar, hun. I'm gunna have to explain it again, aren't I? Alright, well it is basically something that people have of they can tell if someone is gay just by looking at them. And before you start, with the whole, 'I have one and it works fine, Ichigo is just a special case...blah, blah, blah,' your's definitely doesn't work 'cause you haven't realised that I'm gay," she stated, a smile forming when Grimmjow's jaw dropped again.

"Woah, really? I wouldn't have pinned you as gay," he muttered.

"No shit, Sherlock," she said under her breath, rolling her eyes. "Come on, the others have started eating without us."

The group ate in a relaxed silence with small conversation here and there. Once Grimmjow had a mouthful left of his sandwich, he stuffed it in his mouth, while jumping up and said,

"Who wants to go swimming!" around his mouthful. Everyone nodded and voiced their agreements, but Ichigo didn't.

"Don't you think we should wait a while? At least 10 minutes before we swim? We just ate, so you might get cramps and stuff," he said instead, panicking as he thought that he would be forced into swimming. The group looked at him as if he had two heads and the vocalist just laughed.

"Nah, I'll be 'right. You coming?" he asked. Ichigo shook his head.

"No, thanks. I don't feel like it," he lied.

In truth, he loved swimming and the beach, but over the past couple of years after his two ex boyfriend's, the scars and emotional wounds were too much and he couldn't bare to show them.

The group ran off to the ocean, but Yoruichi stayed behind to speak with the red head.

"Why did you lie? I can see the longing to join in, in your eyes. Does it have something to do with whatever happened?" she asked, trying to be careful with what she said. He just laughed.

"There's no getting past you, is there?"

Yoruichi shook her head.

"Okay, I understand. I'm gunna join the others," she said, understanding that she was spot on and she didn't want to push Ichigo.

Though he wasn't with the rest of the group, Ichigo was quite content with sitting and watching the others have fun. They were passing the volley ball back and forth, they were splashing each other and conversing.

After a while, Grimmjow came up the shore.

"Hey, Ichigo? Could you please pass me my towel?" he yelled, walking towards the red head. "Sure," Ichigo yelled back. When he turned to grab the towel, the vocalist crept up behind him and hugged him around the waist to pick him up.

Ichigo let out a yell when he felt hands on him. Grimmjow hefted him up and managed to manoeuvre him, so that the red head was now over his shoulder. Ichigo laughed a bit finding it funny, but also panicking out of habit. When he felt Grimmjow move and slightly jog back to the water, he started to ask Grimmjow to put him down, but when the other laughed, Ichigo began panicking anew and began the kick his legs and hit his fists into the vocalist's back. When Grimmjow was thigh deep, he threw the red head into the ocean.

"What the fuck did you do that for arse hole?" Ichigo yelled, some rage showing through the panic. He could help the panic, he kept thinking that he was going to be partially drowned. It would't be the first time.

Realising his out burst, he cringed and tensed up, waiting for a punch or any other form of abuse that would never come.

After a few seconds of nothing, Ichigo opened his eyes. The whole group was staring at him. Blushing in embarrassment and anger at himself, he walked back to shore to dry off. The others were still flabbergasted and followed behind after a few seconds.

When Ichigo was dry, he found that the foundation had thinned out from all the water and most of the bigger and worst scars and bruises could be seen. Internally he swore to high heaven that the foundation wasn't as water proof as he thought, but on the outside, he wore a pissed expression and let out an exasperated sigh. He kept the towel around his shoulders and over his arms.

Just as he sat on the ground, the rest of the group finally made their way to their spot. Everyone just moved about, not speaking and drying off in an awkward silence, keeping their gazes off Ichigo. Yoruichi caught a glimpse of him through her peripheral and could tell that he really wanted to be alone, so she grabbed the volleyball and ushered the others to play with her and leave the red head by himself.

When they were far enough away, Ichigo hugged his knees and rested his head atop them.

_'Fuck!'_ he yelled internally, _'Why can't I just get over it? Fuckin' flinchin' like a fuckin' wimp! Oh right, I am a fuckin' miserable wimp! Weak! Can't do anything by himself. Fuckin' weak! Weak! Weak! I have to go home, I can't stay here any longer...'_

He started packing his stuff and when that was done he reached for his phone and called Shiro, while slowly backing towards the car park, making sure that no one saw him leave.

"Hey, Ichi. What's-"

"Take me home," he said, slightly breathless.

"Ichi, what happened?"

"J-just take me home. Please hurry," he pleaded, hanging up and knowing Shiro will be there as soon as he could. He sat on the ground, hugging his legs again and began rocking, while over and over again in his head, he was yelling at himself, telling himself that he was weak if he couldn't get over his past. He was beating himself up internally. He knew he didn't need to, but he couldn't help it. If he was just strong enough he could have prevented everything.

By the time Shiro pulled up in a parking space near where Ichigo was sat, the red head was shaking violently and rocking with tears streaming out his eyes.

"Oh my god! Ichi!" he yelled, running to his side, hugging him close. "Where're tha others? Do they know ya here?"

"N-n-n-no, no, no more people, h-h-home, home, home..." he mumbled, shivering so much his teeth chattered. Shiro grew more worried, but he had to get Ichigo home. He picked the red head up bridal style and sat him on his lap in the drivers side, not caring that it was illegal.

The ride home was uneventful, but Ichigo wasn't shaking as much when they pulled into the drive way. When Shiro got them both inside, he set Ichigo on the couch and went straight to the kitchen to make him his hot chocolate.

It was going to be a long evening for Shiro, making sure Ichigo is warm, keeping him close to his body in case of another sever breakdown. He will get what happened out of Ichigo later when he is calm and not on the verge of insanity.

"So that's everything on Ichigo Kurosaki, sir. He was fun to play with. No wonder you have your sights still on him," Darryl said.

"Thanks, Darryl. I'm glad you had fun. I'll make sure you'll have your turn when we take him again. From what you've said, his friend, Shirosaki, is quite the eye catcher too. We might have to take them both when the time is right. But right now, just keep tabs on them both so it will be easier for us to get to them when it is time. You may leave," the leader said, waving his hand to dismiss the younger male.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guy! I am so, so, so, so, so~ sorry I have taken almost two or three months with this chapter! As you know I have moved from Australia to England so I couldn't write anything after chapter 5 as I was packing, painting, being on the plane and then we got a house finally and as we had other things to do like try and find jobs, get our stuff unpacked and just do a whole heap of stuff to get legal stuff sorted out. Chapter 6 was slowly but surely on it's way, but because of these set backs as well as writer's block IT IS FINALLY DONE! **

**NOTE: I apologise if this chapter is boring, there is always a boring chapter, but you need to get some stuff out of the way before you can continue with the other stuff. So ENJOY!**

**~ Taurie**

Ichigo had fallen asleep on the lounge in Shiro's arms, Both of them fell into a deep sleep, a rare luxury due to Ichigo's nightmares and Shiro worrying about him. It had taken longer than normal to calm the red head from his breakdown, but the cause was still lost to his friend. Shiro didn't really mind as long as Ichigo would tell him later.

Shiro couldn't keep track of his friend's healing, whether it be mentally, emotionally or physically, because Ichigo doesn't share anything that he thinks is unimportant, just what he wants to know. For all he knows, the red head could be self harming again and therefore slowing his progress of healing, in all respects.

If Shiro was honest, it was absolutely exhausting looking after his best friend constantly. But, he wouldn't give it up for the world, because Ichigo was his friend and there are plenty more dick heads around that could take advantage of his vulnerability. Although, in saying this, he definitely wouldn't mind sharing the responsibility.

Shiro awoke with a start as Ichigo's phone went off.

_'This is the second day in a row now! I'm gunna shart shoo'in'!'_ he grumbled as he shot out his hand to pick it up from the coffee table before the red head woke. It was Grimmjow.

He had been continuously ringing all last night, but Ichigo didn't want to talk and neither did he. The vocalist obviously got the hint after the fifth time, but ringing so early in the morning? Moving to his bedroom, Shiro sighed and answered the phone.

"Finally!" came a shout, "Ichi, are you okay? Where are you?" Shiro held the phone away from his ear and gave it a disbelieving look.

"What the hell are ya yappin' about?" he asked, phone back at his ear. "Ichi was menna be wit you. Ya menna be 'is friends! Some friends you are if ya just leave 'im behind!"

"Woah woah, wait, what? Shiro? What do _you_ mean? We were playing volleyball. Ichigo didn't want to join, so he stayed with our stuff. After the game, we find him missing and we couldn't find him anywhere." Grimmjow explained.

"Did ya check tha car park?"

"Yeah, we even checked the public toilets and split up to search the roads. But, assuming because you are answering his phone, Ichigo is alright and at home?" he inquired. Shiro sighed . He can't stay mad when they searched for ages for his friend, showing that they did care about him.

"Yeah, Ichi's 'ere, sleepin'. 'E called me yesterday to pick 'im up. 'E was out o' breath an' was stuttering a lot. So I wen' ta 'im as fast as I could. When I found 'im, 'e was on tha ground havin' a fuckin' breakdown and panic attack! What tha hell happened?"

"What? A panic attack...breakdown? I have no idea what happened to set him off like that. He was fine the whole day...wait, tell a lie. He was really quite jumpy, but other than that he was fine. Would you know the reason why he would be jumpy?" Grimmjow asked, curiously.

Shiro sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Let's just say, overwhelming dominance, in any situation, doesn't help any."

"What the –"

"Exactly. We all have our dark secrets." Before Grimmjow could put in another word, the call disconnected.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

The call was disconnected.

"What the fuck was he on about? Overwhelming dominance, what? I dunno." Grimmjow ran his hands over his face and through his bright, blue hair.

_'Dark secrets, huh? Yup, we all have those.'_ Although his anxiety dissipated in relief when he found that Ichigo was okay, there was no way he would be able to go back to sleep. He was tired due to his sleepless night of worrying about him, but he was too tense from his worry that is kept him awake.

Deciding that he should get out of bed an get ready for the day, Grimm groggily padded to the bathroom.

Today would normally be a work day, but he thought about Ichigo. He was more than likely not going to come into work, so the vocalist thought that he might need a day to gather himself before facing everyone again, so he called the studio, the manager and the rest of the band to announce that day off. He gave small lies when he was questioned, but they were granted the day off. The band members were weary, but seemed to accepted it anyway.

When he was clean and dressed, he flopped onto his couch and had a look around. His place was a mess and it was getting on his nerves. He took another quick look around to assess what he has to do, then got up determined to clean. The vocalist seldom cleans his apartment, mostly due to the fact that it being pretty tidy anyway, but when he does, he gets down and dirty. Grimmjow only cleans this determinedly when he needs to think, when something ins troubling him because the thoughtless tasks help him.

There was obviously something not quite right about Ichigo's behaviour, so something must have happened to alter him as such. If Shiro is telling the truth, then the drummer must have one colossal secret. With these thoughts whirling around in his head, he set to work.

_'I don't know what could be wrong. He's jumpy, doesn't like to speak up or speak his mind. He seems to be afraid. But of what?_

_ I'm sure Ichigo's behaviour isn't normal for him, so I'm thinkin' that his real personality is hidden behind this façade he puts on. What I saw at the beach, now _that_ seemed normal and natural. I liked it. He was mouthing off and that scowl was priceless! AHAHA! That was amusing to see. But what I don't understand, is when he realised that he had yelled at me, his lively eyes suddenly held fear in them. He squeezed them shut and seemed to brace for something that obviously didn't happen._

_ Maybe I should have mentioned this to Shiro...too late now._

_ What had Ichigo been waiting for? To be scolded or berated for his actions like a child or a kitten? Maybe he was waiting for another form of reprimand? How else would someone reprimand someone else without resorting to physical abuse...Ho shit! No, it can't be something that bad. I mean...I dunno what I mean, but it just can't! It'll be too terrible to think that Ichigo may be subjected to that! And...and it'll be too similar to...too similar to Joel's situation. Oh, man. But what if it is just like Joel's situation? I can't just ignore this. Ichi could end up like – No! I cannot and will not let that happen again. I will do what I can to help Ichi, without being too overbearing. I will make him feel that he can trust me and that I won't go against him. I will be his rock he can lean on!'_ With his mind make up and on positive note, Grimmjow continued cleaning with thoughts on how to earn Ichigo's trust.

"Shi. Shiro," Ichigo said softly, shaking Shiro's arm.

"Hmm? Ichi? What's wrong?" he answered groggily.

"Nothing's wrong. I just need to pee and having your heavy ass on me doesn't help." Shiro opened his eyes and found that he was lying ontop of Ichigo.

_'I musta fallen 'sleep after Grimmjow called.'_

"Oh, sorry," he apologised, getting up and lying on the opposite end of the couch.

"Thanks," Ichigo said before rushing to the bathroom. A satisfied sigh resounded a few seconds later. Once Ichigo was done, he sat on the couch where Shiro's feet were poking out of the blanket. He was really nervous as he wanted to ask Shiro something that had been bothering him, but he was worried of his reaction.

"Shi?" he began, waiting for his friend to answer him.

"Hmm?" came the tired reply.

"Umm, what happened to D – Darryl? I – I mean where is he? He hasn't bothered me s – since the day before yesterday. That's not like him," he said. His friend sat up and looked Ichigo in the eyes.

"Before I answer that, I 'ave one question fer you. Ya can't seriously be worried about 'im after what 'e did to ya? Ya can't possibly still love that guy?"

"That's two questions..."

"And ya avoiding tha subject," Shiro said sternly, keeping eye contact. Ichigo sighed and looked away.

"How can I not Shi? He picked me up when I was down. Even though it was a year after y – you know, and he made me feel better. Surely, _I_ must have done soemthing to set him off. I mean both of my boyfriends, one after the other, hurt me. It must be me! Even the guys I went out with before them two, tried it with me. I must have done something. If Darryl gives me a chance, I will change," Ichigo rambled, tears collecting in his eyes, threatening to fall. Shiro moved to sit closer to his friend. He put his arms around him and rocked slightly.

"There is nothing about ya that needs changin'. If anyone needs ta change, it's _those_ guys. If they don' like ya strong personali'y, they should find someone else ta put their interests in. It isn't ya fault, Ichi, they are just sick bastards. I know I dun have tha right ta say this, as I 'aven't been through what ya have, but ya need ta forget Darryl. 'E's gone. That night when I got ya from 'is 'ouse, 'e came by an' said 'e was leavin'. I don't know where, he didn't say. But ya need ta put_ yer_ interests in someone else, like maybe a blue 'aired someone and start enjoyin' ya life again." Ichigo nodded his head, still tight in the embrace.

"Other than the blue haired part, yeah I know you're right. But it isn't that easy. As I've said before, I will try," He suddenly frowned and sat up straight. "Wait...Darryl's gone? Without a word? He just left...?" Ichigo didn't process the information properly and had mixed feeling about it. Having this sort of inner turmoil brought him within himself and Shiro could tell it was happening and was beginning to panic. He grabbed the drummer's shoulders and turned him to face him.

"Ichi!" he shouted, but got no reaction. So, he decided to use a word he very rarely has to use, their safe word for when things like this happens.

"King!" Ichigo's eyes immediately locked with his own.

"What?" the red head said irritatedly.

"I was talkin' ta ya! Ya were doin' yer inner world thing again. Don' just faze out on me like that! God only knows if ya will come back!"

"Shi, I was only thinking. Stop worrying. I won't leave you like that again, I promise. Besides, it was just over two years since then. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? I just have to work on the getting stronger part," Ichigo said, moving back into a tight hug.

"Ya weren't thinkin' at all. It's over now. I know, I know ya wouldn't leave like that, but I just can' 'elp worryin'. I'm sorry. At least yer thinkin' positively now. Ya 'ave ta promise me tha' you'll try ta forget 'him and move on? And I know yer crush on Grimmjow is more than a crush. Ya 'ave a chance with 'im, even more so now tha' ya work together," Shiro paused and took a breath. "Alright. I'm gunna say somethin' and ya have ta promise not ta laugh," He leant back from the warmth, so he could look into Ichigo's eyes and he could see him nod, so he continued. "I believe in fate or destiny or whatever you wanna call it – " Ichigo already had a massive smile lighting up his face, " – I 'aven't even started yet! Try an' keep composed. So, I believe that everythin' that 'as 'appened, 'appened fer a reason. An' before ya say anythin', lemme finish. As awful as yer past 'as been, the fact that ya survived an' are still 'ere is a miracle. Most people don' 'ave tha strong will ya have, so it is a blessin' that yer 'ere. Ya past 'as shaped ya ta be who ya are today an' I believe because ya 'ave fought so hard just ta live an' be happy, ya should be rewarded. That reward bein' 'appiness an' a better life from 'ere on out. It still may 'ave it's bumps, but they won't be as 'ard ta overcome as any other ya have faced up until now.

"I believe tha' Grimmjow could be par' o' tha' reward. A fresh start at romance an' whatnot. I mean, what are tha odds fer a very famous singer ta 'appen upon Urahara's weird-ass bar and ta be there on tha only day o' tha week ya play? Ichi, take this opportunity tha' has been presented ta ya. Become stronger as ya said, 'ave friends other than myself. Get ta know everyone, get close ta 'em, let 'em become yer family. Ya need other people in yer life. Who knows, maybe Grimmjow 'as his sights on ya already? Seriously though, I know 'im and tha others care about ya. When ya were asleep last night, yer phone was goin' crazy. Every five minutes it would go off. I ignored it until this mornin' 'cause I though those guys left ya yesterday. But when I talked wit Grimmjow this mornin', 'e said tha they didn't even know ya left – I will talk ta ya about this in a sec – an' when they did, they searched fer hours.

"I told 'im where I found ya an' yer condition at tha time – " Ichigo was about to protest, to ask why, but Shiro continued. " – I told 'im '_cause_ if it 'appens again an' I'm not there an' yer unable ta contact me, 'e will know what's 'appenenin' an' will be able ta 'help. Now, I've done enough talkin'. You need ta explain what 'appened yesterday."

"First, though, when did you become all believer in karma and destiny and fate? And when did you become such a wise old man?" Ichigo laughed.

"I'm not old!" Shiro retorted, a frown marring his features. " I just 'appen ta 'ave insight on certain situations and _yer_ avoiding tha question again."

"I'm not – " He gave the red head another stern look. The drummer sighed.

"Well nothing really went right as soon as I got there. I scared everyone as I was too quiet, so when I spoke they jumped. But Grimmjow had to yell in surprise which made me involuntarily flinch. I think something like that happened again but I can't be sure. I think I flinch without myself knowing. What set me of was – er, let me say that again. After lunch, everyone wanted to go and swim. I said no because of the foundation, but mostly because of some flashbacks from when I was with _him_. After a while Grimmjow came up to me and asked for his towel. Of course I did it, I turned by back to him which was a mistake as he grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder and ran back to the water. Well I did panic at first, but that wore off and a became angry. As funny as this sounds, I actually felt normal, like how I am with you. Anyway, I was dumped into the water and then I yelled at him. 'Why did you do that, bastard!' I think is what I said. But for some reason, fear came back and it brought another round of images of _him_, when he used to hit me when I yelled at him.

"So out of habit I cringed and tensed. When I opened my eyes, after what felt like ages, I saw everyone staring at me. That was when I snapped. I didn't leave straight away, I just stormed off to sit with the towels. They left me alone after that and went for another round of volleyball. That's when I could feel myself going, I wasn't myself any more and all I could think was that I was weak. I'm genuinely surprised that I was able to call you before I completely lost it." Ichigo looked away, not wanting to see pity in his best friends eyes.

"Oh I see. I'm sorry Ichi. I didn' mean ta force ya inta goin'. I think tha' bein' wit 'em would do any harm. I'm sorry. I thought tha' a li'l' fun might help, but it seems tha' I may 'ave made it worse," Shiro said, feeling quite upset.

"No, it is okay, Shi. None of us could have known this would happen. But like you said, I have to try and put myself out there. Besides, I did have a little fun. I played in two volleyball games. I was with Hallibel, Grimmjow was with Yoruichi, the new band member, and Uluquiorra was the ref. Thanks to my athleticism, Hal and I won!" Ichigo wore a great smile that Shiro hadn't seen in a long time. Since before the red head's two dick heads of boyfriends. It was very warming and it gave him hope. Hope that Ichigo was finally beginning to recover properly. No doubt there will be instances where he will have flashbacks, but the room mate hopes that between himself and Ichigo's new friends, Ichigo would be able to put everything behind him. Shiro smiled himself.

"I would hope you won! I wouldn't have a loser as a room mate!" He joked. The drummer grinned and playfully punched him on the arm.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

"So what are you going to do today? It's too late to go to work, I'm sure Grimmjow would understand," Shiro inquired. Ichigo became pensive and slowly shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno..." he trailed off, but his face suddenly brightened. "I think I will work on some songs that I've written. Oh, maybe I should practise Grimmjow's song too."The red head was already deep in thought, heading to his room, leaving Shiro on the couch.

The room mate could already hear Ichigo singing one of his favourite songs while he set up his electronic drum kit. Smiling once again as things are feeling normal again, he went off to his own room to catch up on sleep.

"Done! I feel better now," Grimmjow announced to himself, feeling very elated. He came up with a solution to help Ichigo, though it isn't really a big breakthrough as he should have been doing it in the first place.

_'I'll become friends with Ichigo and help him in which ever way I can. Then, when things are good and dandy, I'll announce my feelings for him...though I need to sort out what they are first...'_

"Jeeze, I sound so corny, or cheesey, or whatever," he grimaced, talking to himself again.

Putting the cleaning products away, the singer made his way to his spare room where he creates and works on his songs. Even though he called off work, he still does little things at home. His hobby is his work and his work is his hobby, so he decided to practise the new single.

_'Maybe I should write some more too...'_ he thought, ideas already swirling around inside his head. With that he took out his lyrics and pen and proceeded to sing the single, still oblivious to the meaning.

"_It's like a storm,_

_That cuts a path._

_It breaks your will,_

_It feels like that._

_You think your lost,_

_But your not lost on your own,_

_Your not alone..."_

The next day Ichigo got up earlier than usual because he wanted to arrive at the studio before everyone else, so he could clean or tune the instruments or to do something to make up for his absences and strange behaviour.

While he was getting ready, he was trying to come up with some way of apologising and when he went to the cupboards to look for something to eat before he left, he came across a few cans of baked beans and that gave him an idea.

_'Maybe I'll make them breakfast...'_ He finished getting ready and decided that he would make a full British breakfast.

_'Hmm for an English breakfast, I need bread, eggs and sausages...Oh and let's do cooked tomatoes and mushroom too.'_ Ichigo opened the fridge to find the ingredients and piled them all on the counter. Looking at the food , he decided it would be more practical to cook the food in his own kitchen instead of the little kitchenette that didn't have much of anything, including space to move.

The red head walked into the foyer of the building and nodded to Starkk, who could barely keep his eyes open, on his way past to the elevator.

Once he reached his floor he headed straight for the studio, secretly hoping the door wasn't locked. He tried the handle and let out a breath of relief when the door opened. He made his way into the room and headed to the small kitchenette to set down the bag of plates full of mouthwatering food. The drummer then made his way to the soundproof booth to test and tune the instruments.

Ichigo can play a range of instruments; guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, of course the drums, violin and a few others. His family loved music and they all play at least one instrument. So his knowledge of music makes it easy for him to tune the instruments.

He began with his drums, making sure they were placed right so he could reach them all with ease and not hit the metal rims, then he moved on to the keyboard, then the bass and lastly the electric. While he was tuning the electric guitar, something in the corner of the room caught his eye.

It was an acoustic guitar.

He'd never noticed it before. It was in perfect condition with only a few scratches here and there, but it was shiny and the strings looked like new. The red head was drawn to it. One of his favourite songs was buzzing and bubbling up inside his head, begging to be let out, for him to play the song on the guitar.

_'It's beautiful. I wonder whose it is...'_ he wondered. The colouring was beautiful too. Starting from the middle, it was a metallic fiery orange, kind of like tigers eyes when they shine in the light, with light metallic blue flecks dotting from the middle outwards. Coming toward the outside the colours darkened until it was black.

Ichigo gave in to the little voice in his head telling him to play the guitar, to play the song, but he wanted to play the song properly so he looked around hoping to find what he wanted. With a little "ah hah" Ichigo found it near his drum kit. It was a little box with speakers, a recording tool.

Now in his own world, the red head sat on one of the stools in the room, his back facing the window and he pressed record and began playing the first tabs of the song. When he was done, he pressed stop and then play and then he began playing another tune when the original tabs repeated a few times. Then at the right interval he began singing.

Grimmjow was about to put the key into the studio door, but remembered that he had forgotten to lock it the other day.

He always gets to the studio earlier than the others so that he can relax and get into the mood, so he was surprised when he saw Ichigo in the booth. The vocalist was about to ask him why he was there in the morning, but he stopped and laughed at himself.

_'Ichigo wouldn't be able to hear you, it's a soundproof booth. Get your head straight. Oh, man, it is too early to be thinking._' he thought, and left Ichigo to do whatever he was doing. He went into the kitchenette hoping to find something to eat.

Normally Grimmjow does eat in the morning, but this morning he woke up feeling sick, so he didn't bother. But on his way to the building, he was getting hungry and decided that if he ate something small it might ease his nausea or just stop the grumbling in his stomach.

When the vocalist walked through the door, delicious smells assaulted his nose. His stomach protested savagely at the smells, he began salivating and his nausea was long gone. He followed his nose to try and find where the scents where coming from and it lead him to a canvas bag. He opened it and pulled out five plates full of warm food. They consisted of sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, baked beans and even tomatos and mushrooms. Before his hunger got the better of him, Grimmjow put the plates back in the bag so that he wouldn't get in trouble later for being nosey and walked out of the small room. As he walked out he got the beautiful sight of Ichigo staring at his beloved acoustic guitar with awe. He didn't want to disturb the moment and let him know of his presence yet, so he just left the red head to do what he wanted to do and watched him from the couch. He doesn't mind other people touching his guitar as long as they are being as careful as Ichigo was being with it right now.

When the drummer began to play, Grimmjow was awestruck himself. The red head stopped playing and began messing with something on the ground, but when the tune he just played started again he knew that he was using the recorder.

After the recorded tabs repeated a few times, Ichigo began playing new chords and at the right interval, he started singing.

"_So here's another day,_

_I spend away from you._

_Another night I'm on another broken avenue._

_My bag is ripped and worn,_

_But then again so am I._

_Take what you wanna,_

_Take what you wanna_

_Take what you –_

_I miss the stupid things,_

_We'd go to sleep and then,_

_You wake me up and kick me out of bed at 3 am._

_Pick up the phone and you're saying dirty things to me._

_Do what you wanna,_

_Do what you wanna_

_Do what you –_

_Take me with you,_

_I start to miss you._

_Take me home I don't wanna be alone tonight._

_And I do want to show you, I_

_Will run to you, to you till I_

_Can't stand on my own any more, I_

_Cross my heart and hope to die ~_

_Cross my heart hope and hope to die ~_

_Cross my heart and hope to –_

_Hotels are all the same,_

_You're still away from me._

_Another day, another dollar that I'll never see._

_Gunna get the pieces, the pieces, the piece of something good._

_Like just a little,_

_Like just a little,_

_Like ~_

_I wonder what you're doing, _

_I wonder if you doubt it._

_I wonder how we used to ever so so long without it._

_And I know where I go,_

_I'm coming back to you,_

_Be where I aughta be _

_Where I aughta be._

_Take me with you,_

_I start to miss you._

_Take me home,_

_I don't wanna be alone tonight._

_And I do want to show you, I_

_Will run to you, to you till I_

_Can't stand on my own any more, I_

_Cross my heart and hope to die ~_

_Yeah, take me with you,_

_I start to miss you._

_Take me with you,_

_I start to miss you._

_Take me with you,_

_I start to miss you._

_Take me with you,_

_I start to miss you ~_

_You ~_

_Yeah ~_

_Take me home I don't wanna be alone tonight._

_And I do want to show you, I_

_Will run to you, to you 'til I_

_Can't stand on my own any more, I_

_Cross my heart and hope to,_

_Die ~_

_And I do want to show you, I_

_Will run to you, to you 'til I_

_Can't stand on my own any more, I ~_

_And I do want to show you, I_

_Will run to you, to you 'til I_

_Can't stand on my own any more, I_

_Cross my heart and hope to die ~"_

Grimmjow was blown away at such talent. Ichigo's voice was very well controlled and if he was to be honest, it was sexy. The gruff and gravely tones did something to him that was strictly for the bedroom.

Ichigo seemed elated and very pleased with himself as he was carefully packing the guitar away.

"Well, the tuning's done. Maybe time for another song before the others get here," Grimmjow could hear him say. The drummer was getting out of his seat and turning towards the glass window so that he could better use the acoustics the room had to offer. The singer predicted Ichigo's movements and did the only thing he could think of; dive behind the white sofa. He didn't want the red head to see him yet as he wanted one more taste of that voice. He got to his knees and peered over the top of the couch. The drummer's eyes were closed as he was doing some breathing exercises and swinging his arms about him, loosening up. Grimmjow saw him take a breath, eyes still closed and then began, acapella style.

"_In every heart,_

_There is a room._

_A sanctuary safe and strong._

_To heal the wounds from lover's past,_

_Until a new one comes along.  
I spoke to you in cautious tones,_

_You answered me with no pretense._

_And still I feel I said too much,_

_My silence is my self defence._

_And this is why ~_

_My eyes are closed._

_It's just as well for all I've seen._

_And so it goes,_

_And so it goes,_

_And you're the only one who knows._

_So I would choose to be with you,_

_As if the chouce were mine to make._

_But you can make decisions to,_

_And you can have this heart to break._

_Ooh ~_

_Aah ~_

_And so it goes ~_

_And so it goes ~_

_And you're the only one who knows."_

Grimmjow was fascinated with the facial expressions Ichigo has while singing. He really got into it and you could feel it. The other members of the band turned up during the red head's vocals and before they could do anything to alert Ichigo of their presence, Grimmjow dragged them down to his position behind the sofa. They were all peering over the top, watching and listening in great surprise. Even Uluquiorra had his eyebrows raised and his mouth was slightly ajar.

When Ichigo finished the last line, he opened his eyes feeling wondrously refreshed, but that was quickly dampened by embarrassment as he saw four heads peaking out over the edge of the couch. Trying to pretend that he wasn't affected by them being there, he turned the attention to them.

"What are you guys doing?" he said, slightly raising his eyebrow, relieved that his voice didn't waver or break in his embarrassment. They all shot to their feet, mouths opening and closing in surprise. They obviously didn't expect him to see them. Ichigo walked out of the booth so he could hear what they had to say as he wouldn't be able to hear them in the booth. As he rounded the corner to stand in front of the booth's window, they all began to clap, which embarrassed him further. Yoruichi stepped forward and gave him a brief but warm and welcome hug.

"You are seriously good. On par with Grimmy here. Maybe he will share his spotlight?" she said mischievously. Grimmjow and Ichigo sputtered for two opposite reasons. Ichigo was protesting that he couldn't do that to Grimmjow as he really wasn't that good and he was still new to the band, whereas Grimmjow was agreeing with Yoruichi, saying that it was a wonderful idea and it would give the band a boost that was long needed. Yoruichi and Hallibel looked at each other, then the guys and then back at each other and just burst out laughing at the situation. The red head and the vocalist stopped their squabbling and stared at the two women, then finding what was funny, they, too, began laughing.

Once they all calmed down, more compliments were passed to Ichigo. They were about to start their day, when Ichigo stopped them and told them they had a surprise. He disappeared into the kitchenette and brought out the bag with the food in it. The food was still warm and the band tucked in eagerly, thanking Ichigo and complimenting him once more.

Ichigo felt right at home. He wasn't being put down for doing something he shouldn't, instead he was being praised and what was more, they all enjoyed what he did including the cooking and it was very uplifting. He smiled a bright, genuine smile and went through his day with a jump in his step.


End file.
